


A Realm Divided

by Rexcaliburr



Series: A Realm Divided [1]
Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, Idk what to tag this as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-12 02:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 107,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13537479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rexcaliburr/pseuds/Rexcaliburr
Summary: Grand Magistrate Karne has since taken over the Realm, seizing crystals from anyone and everyone too weak to fight back. His reign however, is not destined to last long as Valera, his old friend, steps up to stop Karne. With the flag of the old Paladins reinstated, Valera and her new allies begin the revolution. War only ends in one way however, and that is with one side dead.





	1. A Soul Awakens

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This expands on the official lore cinematic released by Hirez Studios, and looks into the details of the uprising.

Many eons ago, the Realm was in a mess. Perhaps more so than now, but no one knew. It was not like anyone had lived that long. Except for maybe a few. Or a lot. Lifespans on the Realm were pretty indefinite. At the start, the Realm had no authority, no leadership, no control. People would steal and rob and kill for things and space. Powerful warlords came out of nothing, terrorising people into their leadership. Dragons, elves, goblins, orcs, humans, leipori and vulpin alike never got along with the idea of having to share the Realm with each other when they needed their own resources. Why share, when you could have everything for yourself?

To end this seemingly endless, raging war, a group of heroes stood up. Maybe not so much heroes as they were magical common folk who took it upon themselves to restore peace, to give themselves and the people of the Realm the peaceful, prosperous life they deserved. The Paladins, they called themselves. 

Lead by elven warrior Valera, the Paladins restored peace to the Realm and it soon dived into its golden age of prosperity. All around the Realm people and beastfolk alike had the peace they deserved, and with that began to work with each other. Trade began, the proper authorities were established. Races alike warmed up to each other, finding that their cooperation with others brought benefits to both sides. Many people returned to their normal lives.

With chaos and disorder banished, the Paladins found themselves in little need of being around. They disbanded, and left Magistrate Karne in charge. He had declined at first, insisting that since Valera was the one who had led the Realm to peace, she should lead them forward once more. Valera declined, insisting that she wasn’t meant to rule. And so the Magistrate took over, and under him the Realm continued to grow and prosper for hundreds of years.

The Realm’s power sources slowly depleted, and scientists and inventors alike scrambled to find a replacement. They tried everything, from methods to extend the life of their only power sources to failed replacements, until one day a dwarven mechanic from the Deepwerks facility by the name of Barik found hot spots under the soil of the Realm, pulsating with power. Goblin miners began to dig for them, uncovering what looked like unrefined crystals. The goblins insisted there was nothing special about them beyond being shiny and turned them over to Barik for inspection.

The crystals, before having been dug up, contained a lot of power but after being mined and cooled, possessed no power and nothing special. When superheated however, its power shone through and a small handful was enough to power a whole house. 

This was it! This was the replacement they had been looking for! Crystals were plentiful, and people began to dig them up themselves. As long as they were kept warm, they could power the people for centuries before burning out. The crystal revolution swept across the Realm, barely leaving anyone behind in its powerful wake. Grand Magistrate Karne didn't like it however, not because it wasn't good enough. Crystal magic could enhance his powers infinitely, but if it could do that to him… it could do it to anyone. And anyone who was remotely as powerful as him with enough crystals could rival him and topple him.

The Magistrate could not leap at crystals and pry them out of hands yet however lest he lose the trust of people, and he waited. He waited, gathering as many as he could in the dark. As crystal magic became normalised, people began to become careless, or greedy. Misuses happened, people charging their crystals too much and at once. Accidents happened. People’s hunger for power found within crystals led from one nasty explosion to the next. Karne welcomed these, silently willing people to keep misusing them until he found the right time to banish the use of crystal magic entirely.

A small following grew of people who had seen the chaos caused by the misuse of something so powerful. They believed the Magistrate was making the right move to remove them from clumsy hands of people who didn’t understand. It was better for everyone’s safety, for now no one could hurt or be hurt with them. And then there was the other side of that coin, made of people who feared the Magistrate. It was going the way stories would, where power made one corrupt and greedy. And only a few weeks later, were they proved to be true.

The Magistrate began to seize crystals by force from people who wouldn’t give them up willingly. To own a crystal greater than the size of a speck of dust was a crime, and one that had great punishments the Magistrate cared greatly about executing. He had to make a show to scare people, and if they still refused after that, his brutal forces would step in. They spared no mercy, robbing people of crystals regardless of how much they needed it.

The poor who couldn’t afford electricity, the disabled who couldn’t get wood to make a fire to keep out the biting winters, the people whose lives depended on crystals powering them on - all of them lost what they needed most, and their cries became desperate. Wealthier families, while they could afford fire and heat and their lives could go on without crystals, they still made a horrible fuss. Crystals had spoiled them, and they wanted them back as much as the poor needed them. This went on for months. People became used to not having them anymore and went on in their misery. They stopped caring about what the Magistrate was doing.

And that was when Valera stepped out of the shadows once ore, to challenge the Magistrate and what he had done. She was a shining light in the lives of millions all over the Realm. Some thought she was a fool, for she had little in comparison to the towering Magistrate. But still, she would be damned if she didn’t try her best to reclaim what she and the people deserved.

And that is where our story starts, in the heart of an elven village in the Enchanted Forest.


	2. The Road to War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I forgot to post this :')

Months had passed since the Magistrate banned the use of crystal magic by anyone but him. At first it was a riot. People weren’t happy. People needed them. The poor had gone too long with barely enough to keep warm during winter, their stress barely alleviated as winter left and a warm spring came by. Without crystals, the people were at Grand Magistrate Karne’s cruel grasp. He hoarded them all, their collective power making him impossible to topple without an elite force. As time passed, people began to settle. There was no point fighting back. He wouldn’t relent or give way, and he was powerful enough to kill everyone in a single shot. People moved on, but they didn’t forget. There were still a few glimmers of hope that someone might stand up to the Magistrate and return what was rightfully everyone’s.

The Magistrate’s forces dropped a few numbers, but for every one person that left, refusing to take part in his scheme to keep the Realm under his thumb, two more joined. The loss of hope in the Realm led people to believe that perhaps the Magistrate was right. Without crystals in the hands of commoners, there were no explosions. No misuses. No destruction.

When the golden age of the Realm ended, so did a lot of trade between species. Humans, elves, goblins, orcs and dragonfolk alike split once more, untrusting of each other in case they got sold out to the Magistrate. Crystals far away from the Magistrate’s sight were still in the hands of their original owners, but in much fewer numbers. Some had thrown their crystals out or surrendered them to the Magistrate to avoid trouble.

Valera refused. She never surrendered, willing to fight to the death if it meant the people would have a chance of a decent life again, one that didn’t have them cowering from the Magistrate. When the Paladins disbanded and their flag replaced with that of the Magistrate’s, Valera had disappeared back to her home in deep in the heart of the Enchanted Forest, which had fortunately been relatively safe from Karne. His forces had one too many sour encounters with its residents and beastfolk as well, most importantly Gorlocks who weren’t kind at all to invaders. After that encounter, the Magistrate’s forces didn’t touch the Enchanted Forest again beyond its thin front.

The elven warrior was just thankful her home hadn’t been hit too bad by the Magistrate. She had left it for the first time when she went to live in the city, where she formed the Paladins with Karne, but came home after they disbanded. Now once more, she was ready to leave again.

“Are you sure, Valera?”

“I have to do it, Elder.” Valera knelt on one knee before the elder of the tribe, lowering her head as she made her decision. After a moment, she finally looked up. Valera had chosen to go back to the city to stand up against the Magistrate for the people. She now waited in the tribe Elder’s hut, awaiting her blessing. Surrounding her were maybe other elves of the tribe. They relied on her. They needed her to do it. To bring peace back once more. She had done it once, and she’d do it again. For her people, and the rest of the Realm who had been wronged by Karne.

She thought of herself as no hero, despite the reputation she had garnered after leading the Realm into its golden age, but now she had to assume the mantle once more to do what was right. Silence befell the room, before the Elder finally raised her hand.

“Then you have my blessing. May you be protected in your travels, and that you succeed in what you set out to do. May the Spirits guard your soul, and keep you safe from harm,” The Elder finished. She stood from her chair, barely shaking as she did so. She approached the fire behind Valera, waving her oaken staff at it. The fire brightened for a moment, embers sailing into the air, before they disappeared. Her journey had been approved by the Spirits.

The Elder smiled. “Be on your way, Valera.” She gently took the young warrior’s smooth hand in her old, calloused one. A gentle smile grew on the Elder’s face. “Chieftain Kalris will ride with you until the Enchanted Forest ends, then you are on your own. Be safe, child. You are the last hope of the Realm.”

Valera tried not to let tears spring to her eyes, but it was hard seeing how she was only just getting settled back home and now she had to leave once more. She nodded firmly to the Elder, hoping the gloom of the hut hid her teary eyes. “I will,” She reassured. Seeing the Elder pardon her with a gesture, she backed out of the room, followed by her tribe. 

Her mother, squeezing out of the crowd, hurried forward to join her daughter, who was slowly making her way to her stallion, waiting for her to leave. The crowd continued to gather around her, waiting to see what a mother had to say. 

Eloen sighed, taking her daughter’s hands. “Oh sweetheart, I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.” Valera looked up, the moment with her mother making her eyes even more teary. The warrior’s vision was blurred as her eyes glazed over with a sheen of tears. “It seemed like only yesterday you were a baby.”

Valera forced a chuckle, trying to mask the fact that she was close to crying. She didn’t want to leave. That first time in the city for years, it made her miss her mother and her tribe. Those few months home simply weren’t enough, but it was her duty to restore the peace. She couldn’t back down now.

Teary-eyed, Valera sniffed, throwing her arms around her mother. She was like a kid again, and her image no longer mattered. She would miss her mother again, but she couldn’t return until her duty was fulfilled. “I’ll miss you too,” She sobbed into Eloen’s gown. She embraced her daughter back, hushing her.

“Shhhh now, don’t look so teary for the Chieftain and the rest of the Realm,” Eloen soothed. She kept Valera in her embrace until she calmed down enough to pull away. The older elf reached out to wipe her daughter’s tears from her face. She smiled, getting a shaky smile in return from Valera. “Come now, darling. Chieftain Kalris is waiting.”

Valera turned towards the village’s exit, where a tall, well-built elf waited by a chestnut mare. Next to them was another, soot-coloured stallion, taller and more muscly than Kalris’s one. It didn’t have an official name, but Valera always called it Smokes for its colour. It was bred for long travels at steady paces, and had Valera’s supplies hanging off it. Eloen followed her all the way to Smokes, helping her daughter mount while the chief mounted as well, trotting further out first to scout for any danger.

“Be safe, Val,” Eloen reminded. “And do write back if you’ll stay there for long.” She gripped Valera’s hand firmly, to make sure she understood. Valera nodded, and Eloen smiled. “I know you’ll do the right thing. You always do.”

Chieftain Kalris trotted back in. “Alright, the path is safe. No signs of the Magistrate’s uglies or any Gorlocks. You’ll reach the edge of the forest in just over an hour if we leave now.”

Valera looked back at her mother once more. “I guess it’s time to go.” She sniffed a little, quickly wiping her eyes again before any more tears fell. If she didn’t go now, she’d probably never leave. She smiled one more time, before turning Smokes away and towards Kalris. “Let’s go,” She whispered, following the Chieftain’s lead out of the village. Behind her Valera heard the cries of many goodbyes, but she didn’t look back lest she hesitated more.

Kalris and Valera were deep into the trees of the forest in no time at the pace they kept. They kept silent until Kalris decided to break it. “If you follow the sun, you’ll reach Sun Spire in two days. Remember, canter twenty minutes, walk off the saddle twenty minutes, rest for ten every hour, and take a break to eat and let the horse graze and recover every four hours. You’ll make better time then galloping for as long as possible. Stay on the path and hide if the Magistrate’s forces are near. They’d probably recognise you if they saw you.”

Valera nodded as she listened to Kalris’s instructions. "Keep to the riding structure, don’t get seen, reach Sun Spire in two days. Got it.” She repeated after him. She went through it in her mind one more time to make sure she remembered it. The paths beyond the Enchanted Forest weren’t safe, especially for someone the Magistrate’s brutes didn’t like.

They fell silent once more after that for the rest of the journey, up until the forest thinned out. Kalris broke the silence once more, noticing Valera in a weird mood. She used to be so expressive, but now she was looking a little blank. “Something on your mind?” He asked.

Valera shook herself out of her trance, offering the chieftain a smile. “Don’t we always have something on our minds?”

Kalris laughed as he began to slow down. “Well, anything of concern on your mind?” He corrected himself.

The young warrior got off her horse. Here, near enough to the edge of the forest without being exposed in the open, they would let their horses rest for an hour while they ate, before Kalris would ride back to the village and Valera would leave to wherever she was bound. They sat down, Valera pulling a large morsel of dried meat from her pack to eat. She would need to eat a little more than normal if she were to avoid wasting her rations too soon. They would have to last the two days until she got to Sun Spire.

“I guess just,” She paused, sighing, “a little hesitant to leave again. I just got back so soon but…” She looked to Kalris for some guidance. He and the Elder were always wise. It was why they were who they were.

Kalris smiled softly, the burly elf leaning back against a tree. “You see, Valera, when fate calls, we must always answer. And fate only calls when there’s a good reason. The world has great things ahead for you.”

“Doesn’t look all that great,” Valera muttered under her breath. Kalris had a point, but it didn’t really make her feel all that better about having to leave home. She looked down at Kalris’s hand on her knee. 

“We will always be with you in spirit, and we know you will come home eventually, and the Realm will be a better place with what you’ve done.” Kalris smiled at Valera, happy when he received one back.

The hour passed fast, and before Valera knew it, Kalris was standing up and getting back onto his horse. She felt a pang of bitterness as she too got up and mounted onto Smokes. This was the real deal. It was finally time to go. Few words were shared between her and Kalris. “Tell mother I’ll come back. I promise,” Valera whispered. Kalris nodded, and Valera turned. Just in the distance was the main path. She looked back, wanting to say more, but Kalris was gone.

And there was nowhere left to go but forward.


	3. The City Tainted by the Sun

The ride to Sun Spire wasn’t as long as Valera expected it to feel. Two days whizzed past fast and she didn’t encounter trouble with Karne’s forces, only having to hide in the trees at the side of the road twice across the two day journey.

Sun Spire was a grand county full of rolling hills outside of its towns. It was lively and charming, full of history. Farmers had as good a life as scholars did here in the past before the Magistrate took hold of the county. Besides just raiding for crystals, Karne had also took a lot of produce and livestock. His brutes tainted the water so that crops couldn’t be grown. They set fire to a lot of books. Sun Spire had been devastated.

In the following months they had recovered a little. Dedicated scholars had copied some books. Farmers had grown as many crops as they could to keep the town alive. Miners and other labourers rebuilt the buildings that had been destroyed. They put themselves back together pretty well, but another hit from Grand Magister Karne would put them in the dust for good.

Valera arrived shocked to see what had become of the town. When she last saw it, it was bustling with activity, bright and beautiful. This didn’t look like Sun Spire. Repairs were still going on, but Valera pulled up to a commoner to ask what happened.

“Oh, same as what everyone else got across the Realm,” The miner responded, “Damned Magistrate shows up outta nowhere months ago, whatever the bastard’s name is. Demands we hand over our crystals. Stuff that helped lives! Ran off with whatever people willingly gave over and left his brutes behind to take what was left. Maybe if we just gave ‘em up we might’ve had a lil’ easier of a time. Those men weren’t kind.”

Of course. Karne didn’t get his own hands dirty. He let his bears of men do the work. Valera thanked him. “Oh but,” She added, “is there anywhere I might be able to spend the night? Maybe get something to eat and for my horse to be taken care of?”

The miner kindly directed her towards the stable, and an inn. Before she left, he placed his hand on her arm. “I know you’re one of them Paladins from before. When you leave, do us all here a solid and give that Magistrate hell, alright?”

Valera nodded firmly. “I will. That is my vow to the people of the Realm.”

The miner smiled. “That there’s a good person. Best be on your way now.” Valera thanked him one more time before she pulled Smokes away to the stable, where she handed the reins over to the stable boy. She asked for directions to the inn once more, having gotten lost on the way back.

The inn was as bright and cheerful as Valera would have expected of Sun Spire. Sconces protruding from the walls had little sockets on their decorative holders that Valera identified as crystal sockets, but now the crystals had been replaced with a usual flame that lit the inn up in a bright, warm glow.

Her eyes swept the room. It was habit, if anything. Even in her own home she would do it in case of anything that shouldn’t have belonged was there. One never knew when someone suspicious would be among the crowd. Satisfied that she found no one of concern, she settled in a corner table with her back to a wall. Attackers from the back weren’t easy to handle, especially if they wielded more than a spoon as their weapon.

She was served by a young girl who likely had a lot stolen from her family, and had to find ways to recover the losses. Valera couldn’t help but offer a smile at the little girl as she placed a small tray of bread, a little cheese, and an apple. She still had a tiny morsel of dried meat left to go with what she had been served.

“Thank you dear,” Valera smiled. The girl didn’t say anything, but she returned the smile and turned away. Valera noticed the girl's cheeks flushing. How adorable, she thought. She had never wanted kids, but she always thought they were rather lovely. Always curious, always willing to learn. She hoped this girl and her family would be able to recover after the war. Valera wished she had a few extra coins to offer, but she had little and needed all she had for later.

She idly snacked on her food, occasionally glancing up to survey the area. As the sun began to set over the horizon, painting the town in a golden glow, the inn and bar got more and more packed as people left their work. Valera had no where else to go for now, but she didn’t want to get trapped in a corner of the crowded in, so she squeezed her way out before it became more jam packed. She didn’t leave without the scraps of her food however, bundling even the little crumbs up. Every bit of food helped when travelling. 

The outside was a lot quieter now, and far emptier. Tools and resources lay around, temporarily abandoned by their owners. Wheelbarrows of cement had been covered by damp cloths to prevent it from drying up, piles of bricks and wooden supports left by the side to be used the next day. This seemed like the Sun Spire she was a little more familiar with, if she could ignore the mess. There was a calm, gentle air about the place.

With little place to go while Valera waited for the inn to empty out, the elven warrior began to wander. She had never gone into the heart of the town, so now was as good as any other time. She let her mind wander too, bringing her back to her village. How was everyone, she wondered. She thought about the Elder, her mother, the chieftain. She was sure they were okay, but she couldn’t help but feel a small nudge of worry that something had happened while she was gone.

All her thoughts immediately disappeared as someone crashed into her. 

“Oof! Hey, watch where you’re going!” Valera hissed as she backed off a few steps to see who had run right into her. Before her was a woman no older than her twenties, and she looked like a fighter herself. Valera was certain at a glance that there was no way that this was a commoner, for commoners didn’t look like they just walked for three days without stopping, and they didn’t also have a large rifle strapped to their backs. There were three curved triangles under her left eye, and the pale cloak that flowed behind her was tattered and faded.

“Sorry,” The woman muttered. She and Valera locked eyes for barely a second, before the stranger hurried off into the town, presumably to the inn. Valera watched her go, her interest in this woman piqued. The stranger was most certainly not part of Karne’s forces, for he always fought in big numbers to make up for the lack of any actual strategy beyond brute force, but many people who stepped up to fight had a knack for disappearing randomly and never returning. Their bodies would be found somewhere the next day, a heavy warning to others who wanted to step up against the Magistrate. 

While it was tempting, Valera couldn’t trail the woman now or it’d have been obvious that she was doing so. So she kept wandering instead, though instead of her thoughts going back to her village, it kept a mental image of the lady in her head. Valera was no detective, but years of fighting had taught Valera to spot a few key things on people that would manage to create some identity.

And she had a few things she remembered. Those three marks on her face weren’t scars, but they were markings likely given during a rite of passage. Few had such traditions anymore except some on the Frontier. The symbolic wolf buckle on her cloak confirmed that. The Frontier was one of the harshest places on the Realm, with searing summers and biting winters. The people there were tough as nails, and many of them armed. The Frontier however, was in close company of the Magistrate. 

Karne was known for bribing people into his armies by offering guns, money, and a minor use of crystals. People desperate for the crystals switched sides almost immediately, and Valera thought that the woman might have been a hired gun. It wasn’t likely, but possible. And with that gun she carried who knew the damage she could do, and she was in a crowded inn right now.

Valera stopped and turned, hurrying to the inn when she realised what that woman could do if she really was working for Karne. She thought that she might reach the inn to see blood leaking out of those crooked doors, bodies stacked, mouths frozen dead in fear, screaming echoing into the night.

But all she heard was music and cheering at the inn. She sighed in relief. “Well, at least that’s one mystery solved,” She muttered to herself. She pushed her way back into the inn, frowning as she realised how the crowd had gotten bigger and not smaller. The night was still very, very young for these people.

Squeezing herself through to the counter, though she was dismayed to not find anyone there. She did however, find the miner she had met outside a few hours ago. While she doubted it, maybe he had seen the strange woman.

Valera pushed her way over. “Excuse me, did you happen to see a lady come through earlier? Maybe later twenties, blonde, three red markings under her left eye? Had a huge gun with her?” Valera found herself raising her voice to get above the noise of the crowd.

The miner was surprised to see Valera again. “Oi, good to see ya again! I thought ya might’ve gone already!” He joyously shouted over the noise. Valera knew he was a little drunk given how red his face was. “I ain’t see anyone I ain’t know round ‘ere, but it’s so damn crowded the Magistrate himself coulda walked through and no one would noticed. Sorry dear. But if tha’ woman you’s talking about and she’s anything smart, she’d have gotten a room upstairs. Maybe you’d try your luck up there.”

Upstairs. Of course! The lady looked so worm out, Valera was certain she would not travel another day without rest. “Thank you,” Valera smiled to the miner. He blabbered his goodbye as Valera had to shove through the crowd once more to get to the stairs. 

There was no one sitting on the stairs, thank god. She didn’t want to have to fight her way through just to get up some stairs. Though speaking of a fight, she heard some shouting coming from the hallway upstairs. 

When she got up, she saw this guy shouting at a girl who was most definitely terrified. The guy was flushed red with alcohol. Valera looked between the rooms and them, hesitating. She wanted to find that woman immediately, but found herself walking towards the two dangerously. From the corner of her eye, she saw the woman she was looking for leave her room and disappear from view. She huffed in frustration, but the girl looked like she needed help now.

The guy noticed Valera walking towards them, but didn’t respond. He wasn’t interested, but shot her a nasty glare when she asked, “What’s going on?”

“None of your business, darling,” The drunk guy snarled, “Unless you’re into threesomes.” A devilish grin spread across his face as he added in that last part, and Valera had to hold back from punching him right there. She snorted.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Let the girl go.” No more beating around the bush.

The guy laughed, spit flying onto the floor. “And what authority do you have? A sword?” He laughed at her sheath hanging from her belt. “Because,” He paused to pull out a pistol, pointing it at Valera, “I got one better.”

Valera stared at the gun, though she was unfazed. From the side, both of them heard the click of a gun’s safety was turned off.

“Do as she says.”

The elf was surprised to see the woman she had been chasing around with her brutal gun up, the rifle right by the man’s head. It was a far bigger, more terrifying gun than the tiny pistol. The guy’s anger clearly flared, but he lowered the pistol anyway. Valera took the moment to snatch it out of his hands, tossing it behind her. It tumbled to the floor with a heavy clank against the wood. Slowly, the guy put his hands up and walked away from the girl who was still terrified, more so now that guns had been taken out.

The woman kept her rifle trained on him as he moved slowly away from the girl. It was until he wasn’t facing her that the woman raised her leg to shove him forward. “Don’t let me see you again,” She warned, “I’ll be happy to fire this.” 

The guy began to walk away, muttering bitches after them. The woman fired a single shot behind him, causing him to run away. She turned to the girl. “Run on back. This place is filled with sleazy dirtbags.” The girl too, sprinted back to her room.

Now Valera could get down to business. “Thanks for that,” She started.

The stranger shrugged. “We look out for our own. Women protect women. Why have you been following me though? I know who you are, Valera.”

So she did notice. Valera thought her skills of tracking were a little better. She was a little hurt by that. Might as well be straightforward. “You knew me… how?”

The lady looked away. She paused, sighing. “The Magistrate. He talks about you.” Valera scowled at the name. So this woman was one of his soldiers! Angry, Valera drew her sword and pointed it accusingly at the woman.

“So you’re one of his men, then?” Valera hissed. “One of his brutes? Do you realise what crimes you can be killed for? And I can do it right here, right now.” She could feel the burning anger within, for all those innocent lives that had been lost. How many had this woman killed? It angered her further to think of it. It could have been hundreds, thousands even! 

The woman didn’t try to resist forcefully. She only looked down at the ground, then back at Valera. “My name is Tyra. I only used to work for the Magistrate, and only before he banned crystal use. I knew what he was going to do. I could feel it. Tyrants expose themselves easily. I don’t deny that I have murdered, but only because I used to be one of his assassins. I didn’t know back then that this was what he’d become.”

Valera was still angry, but she understood. Back then, Karne had only led the Realm into more fortune and prosperity. Nothing seemed wrong back then. She sheathed her sword, albeit a little forcefully, but said nothing. Her hands trembled a little in anger, and she clenched her fists to stop it.

Tyra finally spoke again after a few minutes of painful silence. “If there is anything I can do now do make it right, tell me. I want the Magistrate down as much as you do. That’s why I came here. I’m looking to find a way to take him down. I was hoping I’d get to the Falls to find some people who wanted to help. I’ve heard some names float around in chatter.”

Valera thought about it. She could hear the sincerity in Tyra’s voice, but she was still angry and it clouded her judgment. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She had found someone who wanted to help, who said she knew others by word of mouth. She huffed. “Alright, let’s talk."


	4. The Empire of the Golden Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we meet our second champion!

Valera and Tyra had come to an agreement. While the elf was still rather unhappy about Tyra’s history with the Magistrate, it was only right that she put her differences aside for the greater good of the Realm. She had made it clear to Tyra that only until they could push down the Magistrate was their truce in place - after that, Valera was free to look at Tyra as one of Karne’s people. 

While Tyra wasn’t all too happy, she was certain Valera might change her mind later about it. She was certain. But yet, a little glimmer of indigence told her that she didn’t have to prove anything to Valera, and she wouldn’t go out of her way to show Valera that she was her version of good or whatever.

They left Sun Spire the next day, following Tyra’s list of people she had come to know as a resistance - heroes, commoners, legends alike looking to take down the Magistrate. The first on their list was one with as great a name as the legends and stories would tell, tales of the archer Sha Lin. Some people thought he was just a myth, given how few to none had ever seen him, but he had been making his appearance a little more known as of late, rivalling full battalions of Karne’s forces with nothing but a bow. No one knew how he did it. They only ever saw the remains of a fight.

And so it was off to the desert plains, just to the west of the mountains where a quarry and goblin mining site was. The quarry had long since been abandoned after a raid, miners fleeing from Karne for their lives. Most of them hid in the desert empire, where they were protected to some degree by the empire's guards, who, while they weren't the kindest, didn't like the Magistrate more than anything. The desert empire arguably had been least affected by Karne due to it's sheer force of soldiers, but Karne had found ways to get inside and stomp out battalions of it's troops. They still stood steadfast however, its walls refusing to crack to a tyrant.

While Valera and Tyra would have been a little more protected within the city's walls, the journey there was the challenge. Karne had scouts regularly circle the city's fortified walls in search of any weak spots or ways in, though they were unsuccessful. It left the path to the desert guarded and watched however, waiting for any embassy or traveller passing through to ambush.

"We can't go that way like that," Tyra mused, "it's impossible. The Magiatrate's forces will be waiting in the trees and by the road."

Valera frowned, slowing her horse as they began to wander into dangerous territory. In theory, the journey was only a half day's ride away without any stops and infrequent rests, but with the danger lurking, the journey could extend over a day. They'd be free enough to ride forth once out of the forest, but following the path wouldn't be possible.

"They watch the path, right? That means we have to detour before we even get close. Come, if we parallel the path from a further distance we could make it." Valera lightly shifted her knee, encouraging Smokes to change direction.

Tyra followed, though a little hesitant. "Riding parallel to the path isn't good enough. He has spies and scouts all over the forest and not just the path."

"They can't be everywhere," Valera argued. 

Tyra shook her head. "You don't realise how much his forces have grown since things first went to shit. People both willingly and forcefully joined, mostly to avoid trouble. He's grown in the thousands. Sparing a few scouts to cover one of the most travelled paths leading right to his greatest enemy is not a problem for him."

Valera didn't hesitate to agree, now that it made sense. Karne's forces had indeed grown since the downfall of the Realm, but she didn't realise it had grown so much. “You’re right, but we can't go around the entire thing. It'll take us days to do that. Karne could have invaded by then."

Tyra nodded slowly, a little lost in thought. There were sure to be alternative routes that didn't involve going around the forest. "How about... underground?"

The elf frowned. "And how would you get underground? You don't look like you're carrying a shovel."

"Right, right. We can't go over since we don't fly... I guess through would be the only way." Tyra turned to look at their horses who were now idly grazing. "Karne has messengers that come through here to deliver word to the scouts out here. If we could kidnap one coming by, we could disguise ourselves to get through."

Now that was an idea. "How often do they come through?" Valera asked.

Tyra turned to look at the road. "Maybe once a day or a little longer. We could wait until we find one."

And so waiting it was. They retreated into a lightly covered spot by the road, enough to be concealed to passerbys and yet with good vision on the road. And it was there they sat, taking turns to watch the road. It wasn't a good few hours until someone came along.

"Hey! Someone's coming," Tyra hissed, nudging Valera in the shoulder where the elf had fallen asleep during her break.

"Ugh, of all times." Valera snorted, rolling onto her feet. She crouched next to Tyra, eyeing the fancily dressed messenger on his horse. Behind the messenger was an escort.

Tyra narrowed her eyes. "You take the escort. I'll take the messenger.” Valera nodded.

From the bushes the messenger looked pretty easy to take on. A lot of messengers were messengers because they just never grew beefy enough to become knights or even soldiers, but never had the brains to get into the politics of a kingdom. A lot of them wouldn’t have the guts to fight. Valera jokingly thought if she asked nicely enough they’d just give their stuff over.

They waited patiently in the trees until the carriage and escort had barely passed them before springing out of the trees, gun and sword out. Valera rushed the front while Tyra swiftly took care of the escort. The two horses pulling the carriage reared back at the sudden obstacle, struggling to get back in fright. The messenger screamed, yanking on the reins that only made the horses even more frightened.

When the carriage came to a stop and Tyra appeared from the escort in the back, Valera seized the pair of reins from the horses and moved them to the side of the road, trying to get them to calm down.

Inside the messenger carriage Tyra opened the door, staring in at the terrified messenger. He opened his mouth, ready to scream when Tyra pressed her rifle against his chest. “Not a single word from your mouth. Strip.” The messenger, visibly shaking, wildly nodded his agreement.

He regretted his decision five minutes later, when he found himself almost bare naked, tied to a tree. Valera approached, having let the two horses go graze with Smokes and Tyra’s horse. She’d bring them to the Empire with her later. Seeing the messenger, Valera raised an eyebrow. “Really?” She asked.

Tyra hid a smile and shrugged. “I read about it in books before. Thought it was funny. Come on, we got a city to get to.”

They changed into their disguises, getting the horses back on the carriage. The two ran up front in the messenger carriage with Smokes, while Tyra rode on her own. “If anyone asks, we found these horses,” Valera stated. They were closing in on the dangerous part of the road, and sure enough some scouts stopped them while they were deep in the forest path.

“Oi, what’s the news from the Man?” One of the scouts asked as he hopped out of the trees. He came up to the messenger carriage, peering inside through the gloom. His eyes narrowed and Valera stared back, refusing to be cowed by this punk. Valera fished into the bag of messages, picking a random one and handing it back. Most of them were the same message directed to different areas, and they had read all of them.

“Magistrate Karne wants you to send back some troops. Too many lazing around the forest doing absolutely nothing,” Valera muttered. The scout looked a little falsely hurt by that.

He laughed, “Aww we ain’t doin’ nothing? Sittin’ in them trees all day is hard work. Though the big boss bein’ low on people to do his crap woulda explain why ‘e sent a lady to bring messages. And some scrawny half-knight probably,” He gestured to Tyra in the back, who had hid her feminine features rather well. He then peered in closer, squinting. “You are a lady, right?”

Valera scoffed. “If you had to ask that it looks like you haven’t seen many in your lifetime. I can see why. Now scoot along, there are urgent messages to be delivered.” For a moment the scout seemed on to something, a little hesitant to move out of the path of the carriage. 

“Then what about the extra horses?” He prodded further, trying to get information out.

“Found them by the road. Don’t care if they belonged to someone.”

The scout wanted to ask more, but decided it was enough. These two checked out in his books. “Alright… go on then. Headed to the empire outpost aye? Be careful though. That archer people talk about is lurking. You know the legend. The invisible man with the bow. Keep en eye out for ‘im. Doesn’t look like he leaves the city walls but who knows.”

Valera nodded along, pretending like she was hearing him. It was a relief when she could finally move on, lightly pulling the reins on her horses to get them to go on. She didn’t say anything though she had thoughts on her mind. The trees had ears here, and it was dangerous to say much.

It was another hour before they got out of the forest. The gates weren’t far off, but many guards were stationed there to prevent Karne’s forces from getting in. They were bound to be stopped there. 

And it was true. The carriage was stopped outside the gates, where six armed men stood. “Back off, Karne,” one of them snarled, recognising the messenger uniform. It was evident he was a little thrown off by the fact that a messenger being right in his face. Valera peered outside of the carriage back at Tyra, who got off her horse. 

Tyra removed her helmet, letting her pleat fall back onto her shoulders. “We’re not Karne’s men,” she announced. She glanced at Valera, urging her to get out of the carriage too. The elf stepped out too.

“Then why on earth are you wearing his hideous clothes?” The guard scoffed. “No one enters or exits the empire’s walls anyway. So run on back to whatever forest you came from.”

Valera frowned. “We just came from the one forest that is so heavily guarded by Karne, we had to disguise ourselves as messengers to get through. I’m Valera, and we’re looking for someone that can help us take down the Magistrate.”

The guards stared at her in silence. “Riiiight, if you’re Valera then I’m the Magistrate himself. How do we know you’re not some spy trying to sneak in? If you’re the Valera everyone on the Realm knows about, you’re going to have to prove it.”

She was a little upset that she had to prove herself, for she had little to her name. The only thing she had that had been hers then and was still hers now was her sword. Slowly she reached for the hilt, drawing it. Latched in the center of the hilt connecting to the blade was a blue crystal, strengthening the blade and powering it with magical energy.

The guards gasped, stepping back from the glowing blade. They immediately looked to Valera, their eyes widening in surprise and realisation. “Oh- my god. Yes, we’ll let you in immediately. We’ve been looking for someone who could help us take down the Magistrate for a long time. You’d be of great help.”

The guards called up to the others on top of the walls manning the gates. The guarded gate was open to them, finally entering the empire. Inside it looked as if nothing had happened at all. People were doing their thing, walking around, kids running and playing, the market crowded and full of people hawking their wares. Guards wandered the area rather frequently.

Tyra came up to Valera’s side, and the elf looked back at her. “Do you possibly have any clue where this archer of yours might be? This place is massive. We can’t possibly search everywhere.”

Tyra tried to think back to any conversation she had that might have pointed out this person they were trying to find, but nothing came up. “No, but since he’s so famous around here someone’s bound to know, right?”

There was a point. “Okay, so we’ll split up and go ask around. If you manage to get any word of him, just go. I’ll find you. We’ll meet back here in an hour if we don’t get anything.” 

The hour passed, Valera and Tyra both scouring the place for any news or sign of him. They didn’t know who they were looking for. For all they knew, their target was dressed like a commoner or something. They even asked the palace guards, who knew nothing. Never saw him or heard of him. Guess he stayed away from the palace. They had asked markets, commoners, innkeepers, everyone. Not a lot of people knew much. They just said he had a knack for vanishing into thin air before anyone got a good look at him.

And so they returned to the gates of the city, fruitless an hour later. 

“Nothing?” Tyra asked.

“Not at all,” Valera huffed, “people said he can go invisible and stuff, so we’re definitely looking for someone who uses crystals in some way. I know the grey ones can make the user invisible if crafted right. But that also makes him so much harder to find if he’s invisible. We’re also looking for a guy, is what I know.”

“I was told the same things too. Guess he’s about as elusive as the stores really do say. So what now?” Tyra was tired from all that riding and running and asking questions. She knew Valera was too, from that slight slouch in her shoulders. 

Valera said what Tyra was greatly hoping she would say. “Okay, let’s get to an inn. We’ll think about this after food and a nap.”

They got to the nearest inn, plonking themselves down at a table. They ordered ale and food, releasing their exhaustion to the room. Tyra put her head down on the table, idly staring at a lute player in the corner of the room playing a joyous little tune. She felt her eyelids drooping, heavy with the day’s exhaustion. She emptied her mug of ale lazily, ready to fall asleep at the table. 

From the corner of her eye someone came into view, though they didn’t quite walk in…? It was like they had materialised out of nothing. Blurry, Tyra sat up and rubbed her eyes. The man across the room had a bow on his bad with a quiver full of arrows. She couldn’t see him when his back was turned. She reached across the table and poked Valera in the arm. “Hey,” She whispered to the elf, “you see that guy? I think it might be the one we’re looking for.”

Valera had already noticed him. She also noticed the guy he was talking to pointed to them and he turned around, flashing them a dazzling smile. Wow, Valera thought, a charmer. He walked over to them with an air of confidence and charm, as if he were approaching two long time friends.

“Hello ladies. I heard you two have been searching for me for awhile,” He greeted. 

“If you happen to be the legendary archer that can go invisible that everyone talks about, then yes.” Valera sipped on her ale, trying not to look absolutely worn out by the day.

The man laughed. “Guess you have been looking for me. Sorry about making you run around, I try to keep a bit of a low profile when I’m scouting for people.”

“Of what sort?”

“Your sort, really. I’ve been in contact with the Resistance. I’ve been their scout since I live out here. Never know when you might stumble across someone like you two. I heard the great elven warrior Valera and her friend were in the city, so I thought you might have been looking for something. Of course, I didn’t realise you were looking for me until I was told.” He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table with them. The innkeeper served him a mug of ale too.

Valera was surprised to hear about the Resistance. “There’s a resistance?” She asked.

The man smiled behind his mug. “Of course. People all over the Realm have been looking for ways to take down the Magistrate. So far it’s just the three of us however. But now that you’re here, it’s a huge game changer.” He paused suddenly, realising he hadn’t introduced himself. He stood up. “My apologies. I’m Sha Lin.” In his hand he took both of theirs and kissed them lightly on the back of their palms.

Valera smiled a little. “Well, you seem to already know me, and this is Tyra.” Tyra nodded her greeting to Sha Lin.

Sha Lin glanced between them both, then finished his mug of ale. “I’m sorry for intruding. We should discuss this again some time. You two should rest. I’ll be around the city. Come talk to me after you’ve rested.” He winked, and disappeared into thin air as if he’d never been there. 

They stared at the spot he had been in for awhile, neither of them moving until Tyra got up. “I’m going to my room to nap. Tomorrow, we talk to that guy.”

Valera waved her off. She needed to sleep soon too to get all the energy she could get. She had a feeling the next day would be a very long, very tiring one.


	5. Old Friends, New Enemies

When morning came it was awfully quiet outside. Not that Tyra noticed until she had splashed her face with cold water and changed back into her full armour before going downstairs, where she was met with a very, very quiet inn. There was a pale blue shadow coming through the windows. It suddenly turned dark for a moment, casting pretty much the entire city in darkness like it was night for a few bare minutes, before turning bright again like nothing had happened at all. Slowly chatter began to resume, unpausing time.

“You saw that?”  
“What was that?”  
“The sun went out…”  
“What does it mean?”

Hushed whispers flowed through the room, people left and right getting excited over the phenomenon. Tyra herself frowned, offering Valera only the slightest of nods as she took a seat at the table with her companion.

“Something strange happened,” Valera mused.

Tyra looked up. “You saw it too, I guess?”

The elf nodded. “I’ve never seen something like it in my life, but I guess the forest is already so dense you couldn’t tell day from night. Have you ever seen stuff like it?”

Tyra accepted a mug of coffee from the innkeeper’s wife, as did Valera. She raised the mug to her nose, taking in the aroma. Looking back at Valera, she shook her head. “It never happened on the Frontier. But I get the feeling that guy from yesterday might have a clue.”

“Sha Lin? Yes, I think he might too. But we’re not about to go anywhere before breakfast.”

So they ate their breakfast, a bowl of hot oatmeal and more coffee served by the innkeeper’s wife. By the time they left, the inn had stopped talking about the eclipse. They had much more important things to talk about, like worrying about when Magistrate Karne might just storm down the place.

When they got outside they realised the mysterious man hadn't said where he would be, only that he'd be around. And the place was huge! There was no way they were hunting him down again.

From behind, he appeared again out of nowhere. "Good to see you've rested well, ladies."

They turned around,greeted by the same man. Valera now noticed his bracer, where a white crystal was fixed onto. She saw now why he could stay invisible, and why he had to. She made sure not to let the archer notice that she had picked up this much information.

"Let's get somewhere safer, then we'll talk. The walls have ears here. Everyone's ready to sell out anyone to the Magistrate if it means their safety. Come on." He turned, leading them through the crowd. 

"We'll go through the marketplace. Meet me on the other side," Sha Lin instructed.

Tyra frowned a little. "Isn't the marketplace one of the busiest places? Someone's bound to notice us."

Sha Lin laughed. "Oh, they're not going to notice. Everyone's too busy living their lives. And if they notice, they'll notice you. Not me. Try keep a low profile anyway. The guards aren't very kind." 

Valera and Tyra nodded in understanding, watching Sha Lin fade from view. The only indication of his presence was the slightest of movements on the wooden roofs of market stalls.

"Come on," Tyra urged, grabbing Valera's wrist before she got too distracted. Valera only noticed Tyra's hand around her wrist after a moment, pulling it free.

The marketplace was loud and ridiculously crowded. People hawked their wares and buyers flocked to shouts of sales and valuable buys. Coins clinked endlessly as they were exchanged from one hand to another. It was oddly a very normal thing.

Tyra and Valera found themselves being pushed and pulled with the waves of the crowd as they squeezed and ducked under tons of hawkers and shoppers. 

The marketplace evolved into a food paradise as they kept walking. Trinkets and useful everyday items turned into juicy fruits and cured meats. Tyra ducked under someone carrying a massive basket of fresh bread.

"I didn't know this place had such good food," Tyra mused.

"Well, it is one of the biggest marketplaces in the Realm. I'd be very disappointed if it didn't sell good food. Don't get distracted though, we have a lot to talk about."

The duo made it out to the other side of the market a little later than expected. The crowd was so large and powerful it was hard to get through. They should have taken the roof with Sha Lin.

Speaking of him, they did find him waiting for them, seated by a fountain and feeding birds. He looked up at them, flashing his bright smile. "Got caught up in the market, huh?" As he stood, the birds launched themselves into the air, scattering back onto scaffolds and poles.

"I didn't expect it to be that crowded. There was hardly any space to walk," Valera responded. 

Sha Lin shrugged. "That's just how it is all the time. It's why I take the roofs instead. Come, there is much to talk about."

He led them through a few buildings until they came to a small house, barely enough to fit one person. He produced a key from his pocket, unlocking the door and showing the two inside. The house seemed a lot smaller inside with things lying around. 

"Sorry about the tight fit," He apologised. "I don't really live here but it's a place for me to store my stuff. And sleep sometimes, depending on whether I'm in the city limits by sunset or not. Usually not." 

The tiny room fit a bed and a window, a table full of trinkets and shiny stuff, a bunch of boxes with the same stuff, and a few old recurve bows leaning against the wall. Valera decided based on her little knowledge of bows that those were powerful, but none so mighty as the gilded abd embellished one Sha Lin had now. The ones left against the wall were also scratched and one of them chipped.

“You go outside the walls?” Tyra asked, “I thought there’s only one way in and one way out.”

There was that flash of a smile again. “If you’re anyone but me, then yes. But I’ve got lots of exit routes. It’s important to have one when you’re in contact with the Resistance. Guards ask too many questions and in the past few weeks I’ve made a bit too much of a name of myself.”

Tyra took the lead of the conversation, noticing Valera looking at her surroundings in a little wonder. It was more than wonder really, and part of it was to also search for any possible traps. But there was an aura about the room that felt almost magical, and very irresistible.

“What about the sun this morning?” She asked.

“An eclipse,” Sha Lin explained, “it’s when the moon travels in front of the sun and blocks it out entirely for a moment. It’s a sign of a large obstacle that’s coming for the entire Realm, which I assume is the Magistrate. People take it as a pretty bad omen, like a sign sent from the heavens.”

Tyra nodded. She didn’t see the sun get blacked out, but she had seen the light outside change. It did look like a bad omen then - to have such a powerful force of the Realm be forced away. But there were more important things to talk about than omens. "About the Resistance, you mentioned there were three members altogether including yourself?” 

Sha Lin nodded. “It’s not easy to find people willing to join - or people fit to join for that matter. We’re not really letting any random person know yet. Who knows when word might get to the wrong people?”

“Tell me who else is in it.” Tyra leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and Valera returned her attention to them.

“I’m not really supposed to name names yet, given how we’ve met for less than a day. But they’re stagalla, trying to find a way to take down the Magistrate short of a full scale attack since we’re essentially outnumbered by thousands. They’ve considered cracking it from the inside out, but it’s not easy to sneak a spy in.”

“Stagalla?” Valera butted in, “I thought hundreds of them died in the goblin scourge.”

“There’s maybe a hundred left, but they’re keeping a low profile. The Magistrate knows they’re very powerful, and they’re not on his side.” Sha Lin shrugged, leaning back against the wall. “The Resistance doesn’t hold much water right now either, because one of them is a little… hesitant.”

“In what sense?” Tyra asked.

“She’s having a hard time accepting what’s happening right now. She’s a bit of a peacekeeper, so I get why. I’m pretty sure you two could get through to her. That is, when I can get you to meet her.” He leaned forward once more, seriousness darkening his face. “But between us, I really don’t think she can lead a resistance too far. She’s good, and she really means it when she says she wants to take down the Magistrate, but she can only go so far as a leader.”

Valera frowned. “So what are you saying?”

The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. “I’m saying you should reinstate the Paladins.”

His statement was responded to with only one word. “Why?”

He was determined to push the idea. He had a feeling it would work, despite all odds despite what had become of the Paladins in the past. “People looked to the Paladins before, way back in the first war. People know you, Valera. I think people will be looking to the Paladins once more should you reinstate it.”

“How do you know?” Inwardly Valera wasn’t sure, and she secretly want Sha Lin to really give her an answer. She didn’t know. Taking up the name of the Paladins again was a hard task, and she knew some people had grown to dislike and distrust it after what Karne had done.

He looked away, frowning, then looked back at her. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I would be too. People have taken up the job of fighting back, Valera. I’m sure you’ll find more people who are willing to do it for the Realm. I am.”

Tyra noticed the discomfort radiating from Valera, and quickly stepped in. “We’ll let her think about it, okay? It’s a big step to take, and we shouldn’t do it on a whim. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

Sha Lin nodded, happy that Valera was at least thinking about it. The elven warrior was also grateful that Tyra had stepped in to prevent her from making a choice out of pressure. She looked at her, nodding. “Thanks for that,” She whispered. Tyra shrugged off her thanks.

There was still more to talk about, and Valera regained her composure. “We’ll discuss that at a later time. But you mentioned more people out there are willing to fight against the Magistrate. Tyra, you said that too right?”

Tyra nodded. “It’s mostly from word of mouth, but I’ve heard of a spellcaster. They say she has the ability to clone herself, and is a healer too. Among the vague info I have, she sounds promising.”

“I’ve actually seen her around. She comes into the city occasionally every few weeks. I’ve never actually seen her do the magic thing though, so I never really took notice." He was excited to travel, for real this time. Not just a simple task of retrieving a lost artefact, or toppling small-scale bandits. This was the journey of a lifetime! And one that would wind up with them being regarded as heroes of the Realm… or dead. Either way, big consequences made big adventures!

“So I guess that’s our next course of action. Sha Lin, do you know when she might come back to the city?” Valera asked.

He shrugged. “To my knowledge she only left a few days ago.”

Tyra frowned. “So we can’t really just sit around for who knows how many weeks. We could ride out, maybe meet her halfway. Problem is, I don’t think she follows one path only so she could be anywhere.”

For a moment the three of them sat in silence, staring at each other and trying to come up with a solution. Then Valera stood up. “We ride out to find her. We can’t stay long before someone recognises us and sells us out to the guards. But we’ll wait a few days to stock up on supplies and ready ourselves. It’ll give us a chance to find any more information and on the off chance she might come back early, we won’t have wasted our time.”

...

“Come in.”

A heavy door barely creaked as a messenger poked his head into the planning room. Amidst the shadows he managed to see Grand Magister Karne, palely illuminated by the glowing table and the crystals lying around. With the raise of a hand, Karne invited the messenger in.

“What is it? You must have very important information to be coming here personally,” Karne mused. He portrayed no contempt towards the messenger, lowly as his rank might be compared to the Grand Magister. There was no point in scaring messengers, for it only delayed their trips as they took longer to return to the castle, terrified of him. The quicker messages got to him, the better.

The messenger presented a sealed scroll to Karne. “The guards of the Empire have noticed the elven warrior Valera is in their midst, and she seems to have gotten two allies,” He quickly explained.

Karne raised an eyebrow in interest. “My old friend Valera is back?” He snorted. “What perfect timing. What can you tell me of these two allies of hers?”

The messenger raised his head, though he avoided eye contact with Karne. There were rumours his stare was fully capable of killing a man. Instead he fixed his eyes on a crystal. “One is the legendary archer Sha Lin, as they call him. The invisible man that roams the Empire’s streets. The other is Tyra, the blonde girl that used to be of your service."

Karne laughed. “Tyra is with Valera now? I didn’t think a bright girl like her would do that. I was really fond of her, truth be told. Her skills were invaluable, I’ll give her that. She had the brains of a top strategist and the aim of a Sentinel. Valera must be offering her something very valuable if she were to accept. Tell me more of this… Sha Lin figure, you mentioned.” He moved to sit down at the table, gesturing to one of the chairs for the messenger.

“I insist I stand before you, Grand Magister,” The messenger quickly refused. Only his top assets were allowed to sit with him. Karne smiled in the dark, knowing this messenger had been trained well. 

“Now, what of this figure?” Karne prompted.

The messenger shifted uncomfortably on the spot, realising he didn’t know all that much. The guards that gave him the message didn’t tell him a lot. But he had heard tales of him, and he had to hope that the Magistrate didn’t see through him. “He’s said to roam the streets of the Empire, like a vigilante. He looks out for the common people, when the authorities won’t. He can go invisible they say, which is how he gets away all the time for you can’t catch a man you can’t see. And with his bow he’s near impossible to catch, for his aim strikes true like no other on the Realm.” He couldn’t help but use a few lines from the letter he read, just to complete the story.

Karne nodded, interested in this man that had been described to him. Immediately the part on invisibility gave away that he owned crystals, which didn’t make him all too happy. He pulled a sheet of parchment paper and dipped his quill into black ink, beginning to write something without reading the other letter that had been delivered to him. The messenger stood silently, waiting for his assignment. He bowed as he received the letter Karne had written. 

“Deliver this to House Aico. Tell Khan that I insist that this letter is personally delivered into the Scion's hands by you. You should not have a problem entering once you mention my name,” Karne instructed. The messenger agreed, hastily making his way for the door. He stopped as Karne spoke once more. “And for heaven’s sake, this time don’t read my letters.” He let the messenger hurry off without further word, before taking his seat back at the table.

He looked back at the map of the Realm lain across the table, moving a small red emblem of the Magistrate towards the Empire’s desert region. He also took a blue emblem of the old Paladins flag, and put it next to the red piece.

“Valera,” He hummed, amused, “When will you learn? I hate to fight my old friends, but if you’ll bring the fight to me then…” He paused to chuckle to himself. “I hope you’re ready."


	6. Unfortunate Circumstances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I didn't realised I actually reuploaded chapter 3 as chapter 5. I am SO sorry for that.

The messenger had rode three days to get the message Grand Magister Karne had written himself to House Aico. He was to deliver it personally to the Scion herself, whoever she may be. House Aico came into view slowly over the hill, and the messenger realised it was far more than just a house. It was a castle of its own, decorated lavishly outside with a massive garden. He powered on for the last stretch, reaching the edge of the territory in under twenty minutes.

He got to the front gates easily, dismounting with the letter in his messenger bag. As he walked up to the massive oak front doors with the steel phoenix on it, the two guards lowered their spears. They were huge, burly men dressed in armour that was more decorative than functional. The gold trimmings and fancy stuff looked more limiting than anything.

“No entry to House Aico.” One of them grunted. “No exceptions. The Princess has made it clear to forbid entry to anyone who doesn’t belong in House Aico.”

“I have a mes-“ He started.

“No. Exceptions,” The guard grunted again, this time a little louder.

“This is from the Grand Magister!” The man argued. Karne was bound to kill him if he didn’t deliver the message.

“Don’t tell me, I don’t care,” The guard snarled, getting annoyed that this fry wouldn’t bugger off.

The messenger put his head in his hand. “Isn’t House Aico like, under the Grand Magister’s rule? This,” He waved the scroll, “is from him!”

The guard rolled his eye, raising his spear and pointing it at the messenger. “I’m just doing my job, kid. Run back to the Magistrate since you’re his dog.”

The messenger was furious, until a man from behind ran up and put his hand on he messenger’s shoulders. “You’re from the Magistrate, you say?” He asked. The messenger nodded, hoping to just be let in to do his job. “Move aside,” He man waved off the guards. He must have been someone important in the house, for the two guards pulled back their weapons without argument.

“Thanks for that, I thought I might be stuck out there for the entire day,” The kid thanked. “Now I need to hand this to-“

“Yes, I know. Here, allow me to pass it to her.” The man who had helped him extended his hand, but he held back.

“I was told personally by the Magistrate to hand this to the Scion personally.” He was not about to engage in another argument.

“Just give it to me.” Another voice, a woman’s this time, cut through them. The messenger raised his head to meet the eyes of a white haired woman, yet not old. In fact, she was very young. And very beautiful. She came down the stairs, taking the message from his hand without a word. The man beside him quickly bowed.

“Princess Lian. Apologies for that. This is rather… odd. The Magistrate doesn’t usually ask for letters to be personally delivered.” He bowed once more and quickly exited the room, leaving the Scion and the unexpected guest alone.

He awkwardly stood in silence as the Scion read the message, before rolling it up and handing it back. “What is your name, messenger?” Lian asked.

He hadn’t been expecting the question, but quickly answered anyway. He knew these people hated waiting. He bowed, as was customary for greeting a person of Noble birth. “I am Lazaros, second son of the Artem family, messenger to the Magistrate.”

Lian scoffed. “Well, Lazaros. Tell the Magistrate House Aico will send its men soon. And also tell him, that we are ready to storm the Empire when he his. But warn him, that as powerful as he thinks he is, House Aico will not be stepped on by him. We will get our share of the profits when this is over. Clearly, your precious Magistrate fails to understand that. Is that clear?”

Lazaros had no idea that the Magistrate was failing to hold his end of whatever deal he had with House Aico. He swallowed, doing his best not to flee. “Understood,” He responded, forcing the quake in his voice down.

“He owes us over fifty people, and if he won’t give it to us in the time frame we allotted, then we will take them ourselves. Now go, don’t waste my time any further, messenger.” Lian spun around on her heel and walked out, before he got to say any more. 

Lazaros too, left the house, wondering just how he was going to be able to give the message to the Grand Magister without being killed. The Scion hadn't given him a written letter, and the Magistrate hated that. He might also think he was lying about it, and kill him.

And what about what Scion Lian had said? Those fifty people she was owed? What did she mean by the threat of taking them herself? He knew little about House Aico, but from that encounter he thought nothing good of it.

He had a feeling that something was up, something beyond his understanding, something that the Magistrate knew that he didn't. But now there was only one thing to do and that was to deliver Lian's message.

Two days later the now trio of warriors left the empire, looking for this mysterious figure of a woman. Tyra and Valera didn’t quite know of any villages around, but their new friend did, and he happily led them to one of the villages. From there they would ask around if the locals knew of the women they were searching for. Some people were more helpful than others, but all of them held the same skepticism of them, always regarding them with concern if they so happened to be with the Magistrate, until they managed to quell those concerns. 

They had some luck with more information, and now had a better idea of who they were looking for. A few villagers who were particularly fond of her managed to describe her well enough. Young, they said. Black hair, grey eyes, never walked, and had jade robes. She carried scrolls of some sort with her too. But it always seemed like they got to the next village too late.

“We have to run into her some point,” Tyra grumbled, as she climbed back onto the horse that had become her faithful companion. She was tired from riding for so long, that she had to get down to walk a bit and stretch her muscles.

Valera was slowly losing her patience too. She glanced over at Tyra, sighing. “Yeah, can’t we just go back and find her tomorrow?”

Sha Lin didn’t seem all that tired though. “Aw come on, it’s just one more village! We might get there on time to catch her.” Valera was amazed at how his energy pool seemed infinite, lasting through hours of riding and asking questions and sometimes getting answers. At some point Valera and Tyra had given up and delegated all the talking to him. 

“And if we don’t?” Tyra prompted.

Sha Lin paused. “Okay, if we don’t then we’ll head back to the city.”

Valera shrugged. One more village it was. They rode on to the last one which thankfully, was not far off. If it was any closer to the one they had came from, it could have made a small town. Tyra vaguely gestured to the archer for him to do the talking while she remained mounted. Valera got down to accompany him, tired as she was. 

She followed the archer through the village while he searched for someone who would likely know about the people who came through. He went up to a warrior, or a guard. Who knew? 

“Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know of a person who passes through occasionally? Young, black hair, spellcaster? A healer perhaps?” 

The guard acknowledged him with an unamused expression and a raised eyebrow. “Never saw her,” He grumbled, ignoring the two of them. 

Sha Lin frowned, crossing his arms. “I didn’t say if it was a lady or not,” He pointed out. Valera knew that the guard knew. Sha Lin knew it too.

“You mis’eard me. I said. Never saw ‘em.” The guard was losing his temper. “Now run off.” He turned his back to them, walking away grumbling. 

Valera looked at Sha Lin, who looked like he had a plan. In one fluid motion, he raised his bow, pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back, and drew it. Valera didn’t know what he was aiming at, but she hoped it wasn’t at the guard. “Wait no-!“

The arrow was on his hand one moment and gone the next. The guard suddenly stopped, frozen by the arrow. For a moment Valera though Sha Lin had shot him, but the arrow wasn’t in the guard’s body. It lay deeply embedded into the tree right next to him. A twitch of a hand and it would have hit him right in the head. Slowly, the guard turned around to look at the two strangers, his scowl deeper than ever. People watching turned silent in horror as the beefy guard marched up, towering over them. 

Valera caught the twinkle of respect in his eyes for the shot. The guard finally relented after a moment of tense silence. “She came through not long ago. Maybe a few hours. She never says where she’s going next. I’d say somewhere to stay for the night if not the city itself given the time.”

He was likely right, given how the sky was blazing with golds and oranges and a deep blue as the sun dipped below the horizon. Sha Lin and Valera exchanged glances. “Okay, I guess that’s about all we can do today,” Valera muttered. They nodded their thanks to the guard who only waved it off, walking away once more.

Tyra looked ready to fall asleep right on the horse when they got back. Valera poked her in the leg, waking the sleepy warrior. “Are we done? You guys got the info or whatever?”

“She left hours ago. We might catch her in the city. Or not. But I want sleep is what’s number one priority.” Valera swung herself up onto her horse, who swung her head at her in greeting. 

Sha Lin pulled the reins of his horse, leading the way back to the city. They reached the city gates just barely an hour after the sun was gone, and the starry sky greeted them. The three headed for the stable near the inn they rented, letting the stable boy take their horses in for the night. They walked their horses through the significantly more dispersed crowd, a little train of horses and their riders walking besides them.

The archer stayed with his horse in the stable for a bit, preferring to clean the stallion himself. He believed that personally caring for the horse built a trust between them that couldn’t be done with just riding. He had noticed sometimes Tyra’s and Valera’s horses would stray, or get rowdy with their riders. Not with him. 

He personally saw to grooming his horse and was just finishing up when he heard the click of hooves. Curious, he stood up to take a look at the new horse being walked in. It was a grand one, but he noticed the rider quickly shoving a banner into a bag slung on the side of the horse. A palace horse? He thought for a moment, but dismissed it quickly. Palace horses wouldn’t be here at some random inn’s stable, they’d be treated like kings at the palace itself. 

Likely a messenger or something, Sha Lin thought, going back to his horse. The other rider didn’t say anything, hurrying his horse into the stall. He was going to go back to brushing down the stallion, but he flicked his head at his rider, a message to go away for a moment while he drank. 

So he went over to the stranger’s stall, curious to strike up a conversation. He noticed the rider dumping the bag aside in a corner. He stood outside the gate for a moment, until the stranger noticed him.

“Oh- uh, hello,” The stranger greeted warily. He quickly turned away from Sha Lin’s piercing gaze, unsaddling the horse. 

“Hi,” Sha Lin replied. “She’s a real beauty,” He mentioned, gesturing to the white mare.

The rider dismissed it. “Oh, thanks.”

Sha Lin cocked his head to the side, but he understood people were wary about strangers nowadays. You never knew when one of the Magistrate’s people were behind you with a knife. He was determined to make conversation however, given his nature. “A Percheron? Don’t they cost a lot?”

The stranger realised there was little way to shake the other man off, so he humoured him. Still, he couldn’t tell him all the truths, especially about his horse or himself. “Ah, yes. Popular with nobility - not that my family was. She was a gift from a very… generous house.” 

“Which house?”

“Ah… I can’t remember the name right now.” He didn’t want to say House Aico. There would be very sour feelings.

The man reached over the gate, extending an open hand. “I’m Sha Lin. And you?”

Awkwardly, he returned the handshake. “Lazaros.”

“That’s a nice name. Want some help with your horse?” Sha Lin asked.

Lazaros shook his head. “That’s alright, she’s a little nervous with strangers handling her.” Also a lie. She was handled by the Magistrate’s people all the time.

Sha Lin was running out of questions, but one came to mind. “So where are you headed? You’re not a local as far as I can tell, and I remember lots of people.”

“Oh,” Lazaros paused, laughing nervously. South…”

“Isn’t South where that damned Magistrate has set up? It’s not safe there.”

“Yeah well,” Lazaros scratched the back of his head, figuring out a decent lie out of it. “My family is very… sentimental… about the… house….”

He internally heaved a sigh of relief as the lie got through and the other man waved it off. “Oh, I understand. Well, maybe not. I’m not a sentimental person."

Lazaros chuckled nervously. "Aha, yeah, no I understand." He finished brushing out his horse, bending down to pick up the bag he had dumped in a corner. He moved to the gate, wanting to leave, but noticed Sha Lin hadn't moved.

"Oh, uh, excuse me I-" He pushed on the gate, not expecting the other man to side step it, letting the gate entirely swing out with Lazaros's weight. With the gate swinging, Lazaros fell over, his bag tumbling to the ground. Sha Lin automatically moved to pick it up, ready to hand it back to its owner. 

"No don't op-" The bag flap was open, and a corner of the banner clumsily shoved in peeked out. Noticing the colour, Sha Lin frowned and pulled out the cloth. He scowled, his suspicions coming true as he stared at the Magistrate's symbol.

Tossing it aside, he grabbed Lazaros by the collar of his tunic, pushing him against the wall. Both horses looked up in surprise at the sudden slam.

"I thought I had a weird feeling about you!" The archer snarled. Any sense of friendliness and charisma disappeared, making Lazaros very worried for his life. "What exactly are you doing here? And I really suggest you give me a good answer." 

His horse Tianxia, sensing the tension, whinnied excitedly, coming up to the stall gate and staring at Lazaros with dark eyes.

Lazaros averted his eyes, unsure if he should tell the truth. His silence promoted Sha Lin to unsling his bow and draw it, trapping Lazaros between the wall and two stalls. Still, he said nothing.

"You have till I count three to give me a good answer until I impale you to the wall and get my friends." The arrow drawn seemed to glow and shimmer dangerously.

"One." 

Lazaros shifted uncomfortably.

"Two."

He began to panic. He didn't want to betray the Magistrate because if word got out that he had leaked information, a fate worse than death would befall him.

"Three."

"Don't!" Lazaros shouted. The arrow flew regardless, slamming into the wall. Sha Lin had twitched his hand at the last second to spare him from death when he had shouted.

Lazaros stared at the arrow and how close it was to his head. "Okay. I'll tell you everything just don't.... don't shoot."

Slowly, Sha Lin lowered the bow, briefly glancing behind him as the stable boy ran up, having heard the shout. 

"Are you alright sir?" The boy asked, his eyes wide with concern. 

Without taking his eyes off Lazaros, he instructed the boy. "Go to the Dragon Seas inn. Ask for two ladies called Valera and Tyra and ask them to come here." The stable boy nodded in understanding, running off. 

When attention returned to Lazaros, he began to nod. "I'm the Magistrate's.... messenger," He began. He could see the archer scowl at the name of the tyrant, but he said nothing, letting Lazaros continue to tell his side of the story, however laden with lies it was. “I… just deliver his messages to his… acquaintances, is all I do.”

“But you know what he does, don’t you?” The archer prompted.

“…Yes.”

“Magistrate scum.” A voice cut through the stable like lightning, sharp and fuelled with anger. Valera, with her unsheathed sword in hand, marched up with Tyra following behind, gun raised. Valera pointed her sword right at Lazaros. “I didn’t think Karne’s people would dare get close, much less a messenger. Why are you here, of all places? In a swarming hornet’s nest?”

Lazaros was frozen by Valera’s glare. The Magistrate could describe her as perfectly as he knew her, but it would never match up to how terrifying she really was, close up with her steel sword drawn. “I- everyone needs a place to rest,” He started indignantly. “No one travels three days straight without rest!” For some odd reason, he seemed to challenge Valera more than he had with Sha Lin. Maybe it was because he had seen him fire.

Valera scoffed. “I thought Karne would pick someone stronger to travel long distances then. Now, you’re a messenger. What letters do you bring to him?”

Lazaros had no problem in telling the truth here. “There is no letter.”

“Liar,” Tyra snarled. 

“There is no letter. The Scion refused to give me one.”

Valera’s eyes lit up. “Which house?” She asked.

Lazaros gasped as he realised he let slip. There were a few houses in the Realm, all very powerful and influential. Lazaros shut his mouth, staring at Valera indignantly. He’d be damned if he was letting out this much information.

“Which. House,” Valera repeated slowly, and very dangerously. Still, the messenger refused to answer. “Fine,” She huffed, “if you won’t tell us, we’ll find the information ourselves. For now, you’re coming with us.”

“And where are you expecting to keep him?” Tyra asked. “He’s not staying in my room for all hell.”

“Sha Lin, do you mind if we borrow that shed of yours? Now that we have an… unexpected guest.”

The archer laughed briefly. “No problem."

Lazaros huffed in annoyance. Guess the Magistrate wasn’t going to get that message from House Aico for awhile.


	7. The Dream Sequence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a short chapter, but I didn't want to pull away from the dream I was exploring.

She stood before a massive door, eyeing the heavy oak divider between her and whoever was behind it. She thought nothing of the door even though the Magistrate's twisted version of the Paladins emblem blazed the door. 

She felt nothing. No hate, no anger, no fear. The door slowly opened gliding on its hinges and opening the gateway to the monster inside. 

She moved slowly, though not in fear. Her steps were light, carefully placed. On that twisted ground lay many creatures of the dark, slumbering. As long as they were not awoken by a misplaced footstep, all would be fine. 

Deep within the heart of this infinite catacomb lay a monster, a dark, terrifying image. But she feared him not.

The dark winding corridors and dead ends eventually turned lighter, clay and dirt walls turning to stone and brick, hastily placed torches on wooden sconces turned into torches evenly decorating the wall in their crystal-infused metal sconces. She kept walking, her eyes fixed only one the path ahead and nothing more.

Walking felt like forever but yet she didn't move that much at all. But she felt nothing but a calmness that pushed her on. 

Eventually she came to a stop, the path coming to an end where it melted away into a chamber of darkness. Even the candles and torches on the wall, they were melting and dripping onto the ground in mushy, gooey puddles. The doorway too hardly looked solid, bending over and almost casting a hollow, pained moan into the dark. It seemed never to fall however, always retaining its semi-solid shape of a doorway. Inside, the dark began to shimmer.

"I didn't think you'd come," A voice hissed. It didn't sound human, distorted beyond recognition.

She stared straight into the dark. "It was my duty to."

The darkness laughed, broken and cracked. "Your duty?" It repeated. "You abandoned all duty the day you left me."

She remained silent.

"Come in Tyra," It drawled. "Don't stand out there too long. Let me get you some tea." 

She paused for a moment, before she accepted the offer, strangely. When she walked in, all seemed normal. The doorway didn't look like it was going to fall apart, the room was lit with candles sparking blue flames, the office as she remembered it when she was there some five years ago.

"Magistrate Karne," Tyra curtly greeted. 

The Magistrate looked perfectly normal, nothing like the voice she heard from outside. Admittedly, she had expected some sort of Eldritch monster. It would have been a lot easier to kill.

He gestured to the seat on the opposite side of the strategy table. The map was blurry, paint smeared all over the place, words gibberish. Tyra couldn't read a word of it. Nevertheless, she sat down, staring the Magistrate in the eyes.

He didn't take notice of her emotionless stare, gesturing to a servant on the side to fetch tea. It came almost instantly, the servant setting down a pot of hot tea and serving both the Magistrate and Tyra. Tyra thought she knew the servant's face, but he left too soon before she could get a better look.

The Magistrate sipped on his tea, as did Tyra. She didn't even check for poison, but she knew it didn't matter for some reason. Karne put down his cup and looked acrosd the table. 

"Tyra. I did not expect you to be here of all people," Karne lightly commented, as if her presence had actually been expected. "I thought you had new friends already."

Tyra put down her half-empty cup. "Why does it matter? We're here right now, never mind my friends."

"What happened to your allegiance to me?" Karne asked calmly. He too, was as devoid of emotion beyond a little smugness. 

"You know what happened. You know that I knew what you were becoming. I'm not a brainless idiot, as you think your followers to be." 

Karne chuckled. "Oh, I never thought you were brainless. You were one of my smartest people. It's a shame you left. Your move was bold - it encouraged others to leave too. You know Buck, right? He must have found you inspirational, for he left too. Said he didn't feel..." He paused, looking for the word, "right."

Tyra said nothing, prompting a slightly annoyed look from Karne that she wasn't entertianing him. "What, scared to speak? You can speak freely in this room," he prompted. Still she said nothing, only watching him evenly the way a cat does.

Karne sighed. "You're no fun, Tyra," He snorted. "But jokes aside, let me ask. What do you genuinely hope to achieve with Valera? What difference can you make with her? I have allies all over the Realm. And you? You only have the Resistance. A force of under ten, against me? And I can gain the loyalty of anyone I desire."

Tyra finally spoke. "Yes, you have immense power. But what good does that do when you can't do anything with it?"

Karne's eyes gleamed. "So you think I can't do anything? You are in my territory. I can kill you right now if I desire."

Tyra smirked. "Do it then." 

Black seemed to fill the room at once, the familiar face of the Magistrate morphing into a vague, black, dripping form. It cackled in the same distorted voice she had heard outside, rushing towards her across the table in a swarm of darkness.

But it stopped. Tyra didn't flinch even the tinest bit, though the creature's face was an inch away from hers. She smiled softly. 

"You can't hurt me.”

The disfigured Karne snarled, echoing through the room. “Perhaps not here, but don’t think you’re safe forever. Not you. Not your friends. Not anyone who dares oppose me.” He glared as Tyra stood up and left the room, howling and hurling threats after her as she went.

But even as she walked away, there was that nagging feeling. Karne wasn’t fooling around, but despite her confidence there was the gut feeling. Something… something… something was different. And perhaps, that dream, that vision she had? It was something to think over.


	8. Dinner For Three and a Few More

There was a hollow knocking noise echoing through the room.

Tyra grumbled, turning over and pulling the sheets further over her shoulders.

There it was again, this time more demanding.

Even then Tyra still frustratedly covered her head with the thin sheets, hoping whoever it was at the door would go away if she ignored them.

Much to her distaste, the knocking did not stop and eventually got louder and more frantic until the door just swung open without a sound. Irritated, Tyra sat up and glared at her uninvited guests.

“Get up,” Valera ordered, yanking the sheets off of Tyra while Tyra tried to grab them back. “We may have an idea where that girl we’re looking for is. Sha Lin went scouting last night.”

Tyra glared at the both of them, noticing a bent wire in the archer’s hand. She sighed. “Is this all just speculation or do you really know where she is? Because we’re running around like chickens right now.”

“Actually, it’s a little more complicated than that,” Sha Lin mused. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “So, I may or may not have accidentally let slip that you guys… are here.” Tyra noticed Valera shooting invisible daggers from her eyes at him. “But,” He continued, “the King was a lot more welcoming about it than I expected. He wants to invite us to the castle since a few diplomats from other regions for a little reception. I managed to scale it down from a party as much as I could, but the King does want to meet us. Tomorrow." He gave a sheepish grin. "Good news is though, that the girl we're looking for will be there too."

Tyra groaned and rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe you got us caught up in that. There really is no way out of that, is there?" She rolled her eyes as Sha Lin shook his head. "Great. How did you let slip anyway?” 

“Let’s say that sometimes the drinks get to you.”

Valera huffed. “Let’s try not to do that again. I’m not really one for diplomatic… visits but if we can find the girl then it’ll be worth it. Maybe.”

“What if say theoretically we can get the King on our side?” Tyra chimed in, dragging herself out of bed. “He’s powerful, right? It might help to have him against the Magistrate.”

Sha Lin scratched the back of his head. “Yeah well, sure, but he hates being under anyone else’s command so he’d want to have it his way. And unless your way is exactly like his, he’ll argue.”

“Argue… how?” Tyra asked.

“Lots.”

Come sunset Sha Lin guided the two of them to the palace. It was a massive, grand thing in the middle of the city, guarded on all corners. If they didn’t know about the situation at hand, it might have looked quite pretty against the changing sky.

The guards let them into the palace grounds without question. It became clear that their visit was greatly awaited and very much expected. Valera kept her eyes open for danger, scanning every strange face that passed her with only a mild interest hiding her greater motive. To anyone else, she could be marvelling at the wonder of the palace. 

Tyra looked significantly more agitated, unused to the notions of grandeur. Out on the Frontier royalty didn’t exist and no one of power bothered to show off their wealth. It only made them a greater target, flashing emerald rings and gold crowns and lush, thick capes made from only the most expensive linen. They wouldn’t even do well protecting them from the cold. She never had to kneel to a king nor a ruler - she only ever knelt once to an old rival who bested her in combat once.

Despite both of them being wary and to some extent uncomfortable, Sha Lin looked like as if he was born and raised there his whole life. He exerted no aura of discomfort, no worries, no fear. If anything, he looked rather comfortable about being in the palace grounds. Valera noticed that, making a mental note to ask about it later when the opportunity presented itself. She did however, remember something. 

“I just remembered that Magistrate messenger is still locked up,” She mused.

“Oh, he’ll be fine. Maybe very thirsty once we get back but he won’t die. It’s only been a day at most,” Sha Lin replied. Valera shrugged in response; she wasn’t too worried at all.

The group was greeted by a servant when they reached the main hall of the palace, who didn’t look at them in the face. He kept his head low, eyes darting from one place to another. The group seemed to pick up on it, for they gave each other quick glances, a silent question if anyone noticed. Still, they didn’t say it.

“His Royal Highness will greet you personally soon. Let me show you to the dining hall,” The servant quickly greeted. He immediately turned and walked off, expecting them to follow. Still, his eyes were cast to the ground, even more so when they approached a large set of heavy oak doors. There was the slightest hesitation as the guards by the doors pulled back their spears and let the servant through.

The servant took a deep breath as he stepped through to the dining hall. “Your majesty,” He quickly greeted, trying to push back the sick feeling, “your guests have arrived. This is…” He hesitated, realising he didn’t know their names. The king however, stood up. 

“Ah, my honoured guests. Valera, ex leader of the Paladins, and her allies. I have heard grand tales of you.” The King was fairly old, thin, in anything rather sunken. His face was dull, tired, and perhaps he tried to make up for it in the many rings and lavish robes he adorned himself with. Or maybe it was for the occasion. The king gestured for the slave to leave, and he hurried away. “I am King Karos, son of King Alamius, sixteenth King to the Empire. Please, make yourselves at home.”

Sha Lin gracefully bowed to the King, a grin on his face. “Your Majesty,” He greeted. Glancing back, he noticed Tyra and Valera staring awkwardly. He hissed softly to them, eyes gesturing to the King before they hesitantly bowed.

Karos chuckled falsely, unamused by the lack of respect from Tyra and Valera. He expected more from Valera especially, knowing of her story. “No need to be so formal. In this palace, we are friends.” He waved off the informality, deciding not to pursue. 

The dining hall was grand, lavishly furnished with a grand spread of food. The massive table was decorated with silk tablecloths embroidered in gold cashmere, the chairs plush with the softest velvet available in the regions. Valera hesitated a moment, trying to read the King of any hidden motives. When she found none, or none that were too urgent beyond the King’s state of wellbeing, she seated herself by Tyra and Sha Lin.

Karos seated himself at the front of the table, sweeping his guests. A few diplomats entered too, greeting the king. The elf kept looking to the door, hoping to find someone that she would either recognise, or suit the description of the person they were looking for. She was disappointed quite a few times when a fashionably late diplomat entered. 

The dining hall was starting to get loud while diplomats chatted lightly, exchanging niceties and compliments civilly, though there was an obvious air of tension between some. There were people from all over the Realm, though none from regions that had allied with the Magistrate.

She leaned over to Tyra. “Are you okay? Your fists are clenched pretty hard,” She whispered. Tyra looked down at her hands on her lap, as if she didn’t realise how white her knuckles had become. Quickly she released her palms, stretching her fingers.

“I don’t know. I’ve never felt right in this sort of grand, fancy place. It makes me feel… trapped.” Tyra frowned. “I’m just hoping this gets over soon. I hate this place. And the King…” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “Something’s wrong with him.”

Valera understood. She felt the same energy pulsating from the room and the King. “I know. I feel it too. But keep an eye out for the girl we might be looking for. I don’t think she’s here yet - these people look too high and mighty to be a healer.”

When Tyra only blankly nodded and didn’t respond, Valera switched her attention to Sha Lin, who was glaring at the door. “Something wrong with you too?” She asked. Sha Lin’s eyes narrowed, following someone from the door.

“There is a man in this room who is a ruthless killer. I can’t believe he was invited to see the King,” Sha Lin hissed. 

“Who?” Valera asked.

Sha Lin leaned back, refusing to make it obvious to his rival that he was aware. He very well knew that they both knew however, but were purposely ignoring each other. It was unwise to start a fight in such a place, especially in the face of a very powerful man who’s alliance was worth millions. He didn’t look at Valera. “You see the man with long hair in the front and the jade? And the rings and the tattoos on his hand?”

Valera scanned the crowd until she found the man Sha Lin was referring too. He didn’t look like a diplomat either, but the king had invited some clan leaders too. “Yeah, I see him. You know him?”

“Know him?” Sha Lin scoffed, crossing his arms, “He used to be my friend. Maybe a few years ago.”

She was very much interested in hearing about that story while the King waited awhile more for guests. “What happened?”

The archer sighed. “We became friends when we met as teenagers. I was maybe, seventeen. He lost his nobility, family drama and all, and I found a friend there. He was a lot like me probably. Didn’t really ever belong anywhere. We travelled, and eventually he made this organisation. At first I supported him because we were friends, but it turned into this… corrupted underground world. And he led it all, with an iron fist and a steel blade. I hated it, so I left. And that friendship went down the drain. He despised me for it, said I wasn’t loyal. But I didn’t want to see him go corrupt.”

Valera nodded her head. She had heard tales of it. People who dared to oppose this fearless, ruthless leader had a knack for disappearing over night and never returning. No trace, no leads. “The Thousand Hands,” She muttered.

Sha Lin nodded. “And he’s right here in this room. Once these formalities are all over I might just go talk to him.”

“Is that even a good idea?” Valera prodded.

“No, but neither was this whole situation.”

The elf shrugged. That was a point. The chatter only grew over food once everyone started eating, but a lot of tensions temporarily melted away as the scrumptious array of food put everyone in a good mood. The whole time, the girl didn’t show up. After dinner a few diplomats spoke personally to Karos, but within a few hours everyone had dispersed except for the three warriors, and the King himself. Even the leader of the Thousand Hands guild disappeared so quickly. 

Karos straightened himself as best as he could, gesturing for the group to come speak with him. Whatever jovial mood he previously had was replaced with a sense of foreboding. 

“Paladins,” He mused, “is that your group’s name?” He asked Valera.

“No,” Valera responded simply. She refused any formalities this time, understanding that Karos wanted something from them. Protection maybe. She wouldn’t let him feel like he had a step up.

Karos glared at her for the answer, or more so the lack of any respect. “So you did not reinstate the flag, I see. A shame, if anything. What would you be doing traipsing around the Empire then, with the mythical archer people talk of in tales, and who looks like a trained fighter?” He asked simply. Before they could respond, he cut in again, “I know the things that happen in my kingdom.”

Valera figured it was time to get straight. “We are looking to fight against the Magistrate, yes. But the lack of willing and suitable people makes it a lot harder, and the Magistrate gets stronger every day. Is there anything we can help you with, your highness? If not perhaps we should depart and leave you to your private business.” She had no time in playing games with this king.

Karos eyed her, though this time he felt a nudge of admiration for her boldness to speak out against a king in his own palace. “You have plenty boldness within you, Valera. Yes, I do seek something, since you asked. I’m sure you understand that I don’t like that Magistrate Karne very much, as I expect you feel the same. I would like to offer you my resources to aid in pushing the Magistrate back where he belongs. My army, my food and medicine, you will have them to command.”

Tyra stepped forward this time. “But what’s the catch?” She asked. She was eager to leave the building, and if Karos didn’t keep dramatising every sentence they could leave much earlier.  
“The catch is, I want you to find this kingdom a suitable heir,” Karos stated, “I am old. I’m tired. And while it’s usually taboo to say so I will probably die within the year. I’ve been wanting to retire for years but I have no child nor wife, and frankly speaking my advisors I hardly trust with more than menial tasks. But this kingdom is the heirloom of the family, and I hate for it to be turned into Karne’s new playground.”

“That’s it?” Tyra questioned. 

“That’s it. That is all I want in exchange, for this kingdom to go to someone trustworthy. Ideally you’d find this person before I die so I can judge him, but if I die before that then I trust your judgement. 

The three of them looked at each other. Sha Lin was the first to nod, followed by a reluctant Tyra. “Alright, we’ll do it. We’ll find the Empire a suitable heir while we find a way to take down Karne.”

Karos smiled genuinely, for once in the entire night. He turned around, waving them off. “Very well. I will send for a message to the general that you have my full permission to command the army and use resources. Don’t get too excited over it.” Just before he exited the room, he paused. “Oh, and I do believe you have a guest waiting for your company. A spellcaster by the name of Ying. She should be waiting outside. Shame she couldn’t make it for dinner, I’ve heard of her generous work.” With that, King Karos left the room, leaving the three to talk. 

“So now we have extra work. Where are we even going to find an heir?” Tyra groaned. 

Valera shrugged. “At least we have the Empire’s resources on our hands. It should be a lot easier to find people and do some real impact from now on. But come on, let’s go see that Ying person. I think she’s the person we’ve been looking for."


	9. Like a Forest on Fire Within

“What is taking him so long?”

“There is a great possibility that he was killed. He did after all, have to pass through the Empire. If he accidentally let slip that he was a messenger of your own, King Karos would have no problem executing him.”

“I typically trust my messengers to be a little more careful than that,” Grand Magister Karne huffed, “but no matter - if he’s dead there’s nothing we can do. I expect House Aico will send a messenger pigeon if they do not hear back from me on the assumption that the messenger is dead.”

“A true shame indeed,” The woman across him replied cooly, “however I did not come in here to discuss the whereabouts of a messenger. I’m just here to lead up to an introduction of that sniper you favour so much. He’s got information.”

Karne straightened up. Any news right now he welcomed, for the lull in waiting for the damned messenger had wasted too much time. “Strix? I thought I sent him to the front lines after the Sentinels went down.”

The woman shrugged. “Whatever his name is. He insisted he pass on his crucial information to you personally.”

Karne stood up. “Very well Vivian, let him in. But stay while he’s talking, I have a feeling that his information might result in some action that I’d trust you with.”

Vivian nodded, turning to the door. She went outside for a moment, light mumbles being heard through the door. When she returned, a grizzly man cloaked in feathers and a rifle strapped to his back entered. 

“Magistrate,” The man grunted in greeting. 

Karne eyed him. While he never admitted it, he valued all the members of the Sentinels that didn’t betray him, except for its leader whom he regarded with little interest after the disastrous final mission. And they had the guts to look him in the eye without cowering in fear, like many did. He enjoyed that, and most of their unwavering loyalty. “Strix,” He greeted in return, “Come, I hear you have some rather valuable information.”

Strix moved closer to the Magistrate’s table, where an intricate map of the Realm lay flattened, the curled corners held down by fanciful paperweights. “If I may,” Strix muttered as he gestured to the map. Karne gestured for him to proceed with a nod. 

Hovering above the map, Strix stared at it. “I have found several ex-members of your service, and found that they plan to meet up with others forming a resistance against yourself.”

“Go on,” Karne prompted.

“First of all I found Tyra, former Sentinel. She has rallied with Valera in the Empire, which is also where your messenger disappeared. If anything he is likely not dead, but just captured. If I know anything about Tyra, she’d want to hear what the messenger has to say and see if he’ll cough up any valuable information.

“I also found my former… apprentice, Kinessa, though she doesn’t seem to be interested in rallying with any resistance.” Strix seemed reluctant to talk about his former apprentice, not saying anything further about her.

Karne raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t kill her, correct? Even though she abandoned my service?”

Strix looked away for a moment. “No,” He replied.

“I didn’t expect so,” Karne mused, “It’s hard to just betray someone so close, especially after you mentored her for almost a year. No matter, but keep an eye out on her. While she may not plan to rally with my dear friend Valera she might pose a threat to us later. What is she doing now?”

“She takes bounties for bandits and rogues wherever she goes,” Strix muttered.

“Very well. Just keep an eye out on her - she may become useful again in the future. Anything else?” Karne asked.

Strix looked back at the map. “We may have an idea on who else may be rallying as a resistance force, but I believe we have to do a little more scouting to pinpoint them. If that messenger of yours is alive, I believe he could help us out from the inside, since he’s already with the others.”

“And what’s a messenger expected to do?” Karne prompted. He didn’t have much faith in the scrawny boy he sent to deliver messages to do anything more useful. 

“It is nearly impossible for any of us to enter the Empire’s walls. With the amount of guards stationed at the walls, they will see us before we get close. But that messenger is inside, and in contact with the resistance. If we can get a message to him, we can instruct him on what to do. There are captured messenger birds from the Empire - they will know how to fly back. If we purposely show that it is sent from us, I’m certain Valera will take it to ask your messenger about it.”

Karne rubbed his chin, taking a moment to think about the proposed plan. He turned to Vivian. “What do you think about it, Vivian?”

“I think Strix may be onto something,” The short haired woman replied, “After all, if the messenger is already within the walls, then he is our best chance at finding more information about this resistance.”

The Magistrate smiled, putting his hand behind his back. “Very well, then so be it. Fetch me a messenger bird, will you, Vivian?” The woman nodded, leaving Strix behind while he waited for any further instructions. When nothing came, he too disappeared out of the room without a sound.

The group managed to meet up with the girl they had been searching for. She had been waiting outside the dining hall, not wanting to intrude with her lateness. The head chef insisted he whip something up for the last guest. The King spoke with her awhile before he retired, letting the group stay in the dining hall to talk while the girl ate.

Her name was Ying, and she explained to them that she was a spellcaster and an illusionist who had seen the chaos done, and decided to use her healing powers to help people who needed it to get back on their feet.

In exchange, Valera told her of what they were trying to do. They needed to find all the help they could get, then rally with the already-forming Resistance back in the Enchanted Forest.

“I want to help,” Ying told them. “I want to help you take down the Magistrate. He’s been terrorising people too long and I won’t stand by to see it happen. You’ll have me, won’t you?”

Valera smiled. “Of course, we need as many pairs of hands as possible. I think we’ll eventually come to needing a healer too, if anything. With what we’re doing, I don’t think we can make it out without any cuts and bruises.”

Ying’s eyes lit up at the opportunity to help. “Thank you! I promise I won’t let you down. What is your next plan of action?”

“I’m thinking it’s time to meet up with this Resistance. Sha Lin’s part of them, so he can lead us. We also have the King’s resources, so that should come in handy. We’re going to need as many people as we can in the coming days, but with the King’s approval we have sort of a safe space here. Too bad we’ll be out of here soon,” Valera muttered the last part. Truth be told, she enjoyed the lull in fighting and constant alertness over the past few days.

Tyra leaned over to Valera, whispering in her ear, “What about that messenger we caught?”

Oh, right. Him. Valera hadn’t thought about him. “We could force him to come with us. Or maybe… get rid of him.”

“Sounds a bit drastic. He could be of use,” Tyra replied. “He knows what the Magistrate’s doing, right? I think he’d be pretty good when it comes to telling us about the plans.”

Valera sighed, “Fine, we’ll bring him. But it’s your job to make sure he doesn’t run off.”

Tyra shrugged. “I’m fine with that.” 

Valera stood up, extending her hand to Ying, who gladly took it and shook it. “We leave tomorrow before dawn. We should make most use of the dark to move unseen.” The rest of the group, now made of four, murmured their agreement. “Everyone should rest while they can.” They parted from the palace, Tyra and Valera going back to the inn, Ying disappearing into the dimly lit streets, and Sha Lin headed back to his house.

He got back and found everything still exactly as he had left it. The door was locked, the window unbroken, and Lazaros still inside looking horribly miserable. He carefully unlocked the door and slipped inside, half expecting a fight, though Lazaros only glanced at him for a moment before staring at the wall again.

They said nothing, Sha Lin only curiously watching Lazaros before he stepped outside, locked the door again, and disappeared into the night. Lazaros didn’t even watch him go, and it was like he hadn’t moved an inch when the archer came back with food and water.

“You hungry?” He asked, placing the leaf-wrapped food and flask of water on the table, nudging them closer to Lazaros. Truth be told, this guy didn’t even look like he would hurt a fly, much less be the Magistrate’s force. But then again, he was a messenger, not a soldier.

Lazaros looked up with a raised eyebrow at the food, then at Sha Lin. The archer rolled his eyes. “It’s not poisoned, if it you think it is. If I wanted to kill you, I could shoot you with an arrow before you looked up.”

Slowly the young man reached out for the food, carefully unwrapping it to reveal a half loaf of crispy bread, a thin block of cheese, a handful of berries, and even a few thin slices of smoked duck. Sha Lin must have had a few better-off friends or enough change in his pocket to afford those. Lazaros dug in gratefully, though he kept eyeing the other man from across the small space.

Silence swept across the room, broken only by the occasional crunch of freshly baked bread. Lazaros neatly folded the leaf up into a small square with the duck bones and a few crumbs. He stared at it for awhile, before managing a small, “Thanks.”

Sha Lin, who had turned into lying down on his small bed, looked over at Lazaros on the floor. “You’re welcome,” He simply stated.

“Why, though?” Lazaros asked curiously.

The archer only looked at him with the same curiousity, as if he didn’t understand why Lazaros wouldn’t want to be treated fairly.

“I mean, why be so nice to me? I’m your prisoner, am I not?” Lazaros asked. 

Sha Lin contemplated the question for a bit. Then he found an answer. “You don’t seem very threatening, Magistrate or not. And I like to be a nice person. Prisoners are still people, not pigs.”

“You don’t think I can be threatening?” Lazaros asked, a little irritated by the statement. He was still met with an even look.

“I don’t think you will be,” Sha Lin answered simply. Lazaros opened his mouth to argue, but closed it before saying anything. The other man was right. He wasn’t very threatening. If anything, he was the opposite of threatening. Scrawny. Small.

Lazaros watched the man get up off the bed, heading for the door. “You best get some sleep. We’re leaving before dawn tomorrow.” He grabbed his quiver and slung it over his back, rendering all the spare bows in the room useless, taking his gold-plated bow with him. “Sleep on my bed if you want. I’ll swing by to wake you up, if you ever sleep. And I suggest you do.” With that, he was gone, taking his keys and locking the door again as he went.

The young messenger sighed. He was alone again, but at least he had his thoughts to himself, and a full stomach this time. Crawling into the low bed, he curled under the thin sheets, staring at the rocky wall until his tired body drifted off to sleep.

Sha Lin went outside. As much as he wanted to sleep. he too had some personal business to settle. The appearance of his childhood friend-turned-enemy had bothered him too much, and he was determined to find him and talk to him. 

Tracking in the night was hard, but he knew the entire city well enough to navigate it easily. He didn’t bother asking around, knowing that his friend knew how to be unseen in the most obvious places - no one would have seen him. He quite expected to find him where they used to hang out when they were younger, on a particularly shaded spot to the east of the city, close to the walls. Palm trees gathered close to the pond there, generating shade on hot days. They loved to hang out there.

And he was right, finding a figure standing by one of the trees. His sword was unlit, which Sha Lin took as a good sign. He approached, letting his old friend know that he was there before getting too close to avoid any unpleasant surprises. “Zhin,” He called out, “it’s me.”

There was silence for awhile, then the figure began to move, straightening up. “I thought you’d come, Sha Lin,” It hissed back. “I expected to see you around, but not with the King.”

“I could say the same for you,” Sha Lin replied to the dark. He continued to walk towards his friend until he could clearly see his face in the dark. His face had been hardened by many rough years of fighting, and leading that cruel underworld. He was almost unrecognisable, if Sha Lin didn’t know better. “What exactly are you doing here? Looking to overthrow the King for your own gains? Like you always did?”

Zhin chuckled, laughing at his friend’s foolishness. “Do I look like I’m an army? No, I’m not here to overthrow the King. If I was it would already have happened. I’m here for no particular reason. Visiting, if you’d like to call it that.”

“No, you’re lying. You don’t function without a purpose. Or maybe you’ve forgotten the years we were friends? I know a lot about you,” Sha Lin retorted. 

Zhin didn’t answer, watching Sha Lin with a mild amusement. When he didn’t get a response, he pressed further. “I know you. But if you don’t want to answer that, then at least tell me why you betrayed me.”

This time, the warlord was ready to respond. “I betrayed you? Or did you betray me, the only person in the world I dared to call a friend, abandoning me because you didn’t like what I did? I made no promise to you about what I did, but you promised me that you wouldn’t leave. Who was the one betraying who, do you think?” He snarled. With a flick of his wrist, the orange crystal at the base of the sword flicked, setting the blade ablaze. The orange glow lit up the palm trees with its glow.

In response, Sha Lin stepped back and drew his bow, hating that it came to this. Neither of them moved for a moment, before Zhin suddenly lunged forward, sword slashing at Sha Lin. The sword hit his bracer, sliding off though the flames hurt. The heat of the blazing sword lightly burned the archer’s arm as he fired the arrow and blocked the flames and sword with his arm. The arrow tore through Zhin’s sleeve, slamming into the tree behind and pinning him there.

Snarling and growling, Zhin blew out the flames of his sword and sheathed it, attempting to pull out the arrow to free himself. Sha Lin pulled back his bracer to assess the damage, relieved to only see slightly reddened skin. Nothing that couldn’t heal, thank goodness. He pushed back his hair from his face, staring at Zhin with a wild ferocity in his eyes.

“I betrayed you because I didn’t want to see the monster you were becoming,” Sha Lin growled, stepping up to Zhin again. “But I’m looking at it now.” He turned away as Zhin continued to attempt to pry the arrow from his sleeve. “Leave this place once you get free. Next time I won’t miss.” He refused to say more, turning on his heel and running off into the dark, leaving his friend to keep trying to get rid of the arrow. 

Lazaros woke up as he heard the door rattling as someone outside tried to get in. It couldn’t be morning already, could it? He sat up, looking around for something to defend himself with, though he relaxed as he saw the archer come back in.

“Are you okay?” Lazaros asked, “You look a little flushed. Maybe it’s the light. Or lack of.” He watched Sha Lin take off his bracer, tossing it aside onto the bed next to Lazaros. “What happened?”

“Minor burn. It’s fine,” Sha Lin muttered, searching for bandages in the mess of things on the table. Lazaros watched him struggle for a bit before getting up. 

“Let me help or you’re going to stand there all night.” He took the bandages, helping the archer to loosely cover the burn before he put back the bracer to make sure the bandages stayed. 

“Thanks. Go back to sleep,” The archer instructed as Lazaros put back the roll of bandages back onto the table. When he turned back around, he was gone and the door was locked again. Amazed at how fast he could disappear, Lazaros watched the door in awe for a bit before getting back into bed.

 

Over the course of three days following that night they five of them travelled. Sha Lin had told no one about the encounter with his ex-friend and neither did Lazaros say a word, agreeing not to tell anyone. Valera and Tyra were a little surprised at how cooperative he was being, not arguing a lot with them about being taken prisoner. Ying was getting along well with the group, Lazaros included, which made the trip a little more tolerable for everyone. 

Valera had suggested they stop at her village for rest and food before the last stretch of their journey, to which everyone agreed. Three days of stale food was tiresome. Her hopes however, were shattered as they reached the village. Once lively and peaceful, everything had been ravaged. The residents were still there, though in fewer numbers. Valera was shocked.

The rest of the group lagged behind a little, giving Valera some space as they realised what had happened to her home. The elf seemed almost in a daze, stumbling through the gates of the village into her crumbling, wrecked home.

“What… what happened?” She asked softly, staring at the home she once knew. It was in shambles now, houses destroyed, farmlands crushed and stolen from, fences broken and windows shattered. A few dead cows and chickens lay scattered among their living friends, who were in as much distress as the elves. 

Valera broke off into a run through the village,desperate to know if her mother was okay. She ran straight into Chief Kalris, tears dripping down her face. Her friends came up behind, saddened by the sight of the village. Valera looked up, teary-eyed at the Chief. “What happened?” She asked shakily.

Kalris’s face was solemn. “The storms came earlier than we expected this year, and the Magistrate took advantage of that. He sent his forces and they raided us of everything. Our crops, our livestock, our crystals and our people. You should go see your mother. She’s in the Elder’s tent tending to some people.” He gestured for her, watching her run off to look for her mother.

Tyra went up to Kalris, having to tilt her head upwards to look at the massive elf. “Apologies for intruding, Chief. We’re Valera’s friends. Is there anything we can do to help? We have a healer with us if needed.”

The Chief’s face lit up a little. “Yes, we can use a healer. There are too many hurt from this. The rest of you, would you mind helping to clear the road? A lot of debris is slowing us down from bringing in new wood to rebuild.” They nodded their agreement, and he guided Ying to the makeshift tent where multiple hurt elves were resting. The rest began to clear the road, piling broken wood into stacks on the side of the path and throwing out dead and rotting livestock. They were accompanied by a few other elves fit to work, grateful for the assistance even from outsiders. 

Valera ran straight through the Elder’s tent, finding her mother, mostly unscathed, sitting in a corner of the tent on the stool. Eloen heard the footsteps, looking up and seeing her daughter, teared up. 

“Oh Valera,” She called, embracing her daughter in a hug. “I’m so sorry this is what you had to return to.” As Valera pulled back, she wiped the tears from her daughter’s flushed face. “We tried to push them back, but they came from all sides. They took our people even, to do heaven knows what.”

Lazaros, who was just sweeping out shattered glass outside the Elder’s tent heard that. He flinched, the realisation of what horrors the Magistrate was doing finally dawning on him. Messengers didn’t get involved in the business of the Magistrate too much, but sometimes the screams of prisoners echoed through the ground. They couldn’t be heard often, but if one listened hard enough they could hear them from time to time. He slowed in his actions, thinking hard about what he heard.

Sha Lin came up, nudging him. “Hey, you okay? You’re staring into blank space.” 

Lazaros shook himself back to attention. “Oh- uh, yeah, I just got lost in thought.”

“About what?” Sha Lin asked.

“Pretty much everything,” Lazaros muttered as he returned to sweeping out the broken glass on the floor. 

 

Back in the tent Eloen slowly calmed Valera down until she was no longer shaking. She offered the warrior a soothing smile. “On the bright side, a few elves are out already getting new wood to rebuild. And I see you brought friends this time.” She gestured outside at the others still clearing the path, chucking termite-infested soggy wood out of the village fence along with dead livestock to later burn. “They look quite pleasant, and it’s very nice of them to offer to help us. You should introduce them to me later when I can get some tea going.”

“Yeah, they’re nice people.” Valera decided to skip over the part where Lazaros was a Magistrate messenger. He was helping without complaint, that meant he had some good in him right? “I should go help them now.”

Eloen smiled. “I’ll go put on some tea and you can introduce me to them later when you’re done.” She let Valera go outside to help her friends clean out the path of debris, tossing out stuff that needed to be burned and pushing aside stuff that could be reused. It was a bit of miserable sight, seeing the village so barren. But Valera knew she couldn’t stay to help rebuild it when the threat of the Magistrate loomed over them so closely.

It was another hour before they were done, but the path was cleared for new wood to be brought in. Eloen invited them all into the Elder’s tent for tea, eager to meet her daughter’s friends. They sat on the floor of the tent, warm tea in little wood-fired clay cups. Eloen looked expectingly at Valera, who got the silent message to introduce her friends.

“Oh- right. This is Tyra the Gorlock hunter, that’s Sha Lin the apparently legendary archer, that’s Ying the spellcaster, and that’s Lazaros the… messenger.” She made it a point not to talk too much about Lazaros lest she let slip about his origins.

“What do you mean, ‘apparently’?” Sha Lin asked jokingly. “I am a legend. They tell stories about me to kids, and from what I hear they’re not very true. I’m a lot more legendary than they make me out to be.”

Eloen laughed. “Your friends are quite lovely, Valera! I am Eloen, though many people call me the ‘mother’ of the village just because I love taking care of everyone. You are all Paladins?” She asked.

Valera quickly cut in. “Oh, I haven’t actually reinstated the flag yet. Not sure if I want to, really. Draws too much unwanted attention.”

“And lots of wanted attention. You never know who you might find when they hear the call of the Paladins. Here,” Eloen reached behind her, presenting a blue, rolled up cloth. Valera immediately recognised it as the flag of the original Paladins. The one that stood for peace, justice, and fairness. 

“Aw come on mother, you went and found it?” Valera protested, though she nevertheless accepted the flag and with it, an unspoken promise of bringing justice to the Realm.

“Of course I did. I had to take it when the house got destroyed by the storm. I didn’t want the Magistrate’s brutes finding it, so I took it and hid it when I heard they were coming.” Eloen looked away for a moment, obviously saddened by the events that had unfolded. “What do you plan to do now?”

Valera exchanged glances with the entire group. “We’re hoping to rally with a resistance force tomorrow. But seeing the state of the village…”

Eloen was quick to act. “Oh no, you shouldn’t stay. Rallying up against the Magistrate is a far more important task, and your friends shouldn’t distract themselves with us. We have more than enough hands to help now that your talented healer has managed to heal everyone.”

Ying dipped her head in an acknowledgement of thanks for the opportunity to help. “It was a pleasure to help.”

Eloen smiled at Ying. “You all should rest for tonight. I know your journey has been long these last few days. I will have some mats laid out for you to sleep on tonight, don’t you worry. Come Valera, help me prepare some packs of food for you and your friends to travel with. We just got some more food from the hunters.” Valera quickly followed her mother, leaving the rest of the group to relax before they had to move on again. 

They were almost ready for stage two of their plan, when they could finally get some real work done. If this Resistance was as powerful as Sha Lin claimed them to be, then perhaps with their help Valera might raise the flag of the Paladins again, and call all warriors to unite against the violent and cruel Magistrate.


	10. Stones, stones and more stones

Valera insisted they stayed just one more day to help clean up the village as much as possible before sundown, when they would then ride off again to meet with the resistance they had waited so long for. Around middday everyone took a nap just to revitalise before working the other half day, and by the time the sun turned golden, Valera’s home was looking much better again.

The most important structures had been rebuilt, as long as anything with minor damage that could be fixed up quickly, and the Elder’s tent was no longer crowded as the elves could finally get shelter under fixed roofs.

Eloen saw the sun begin to set, and her heart was filled with a heaviness. It was time. She turned to Valera, who was standing behind her expectingly and her friends further behind. “It’s time for you to go, isn’t it?” She asked.

Valera nodded, smiling. She stepped up to her mother, embracing her in a tight hug. “Sorry we can’t stay longer,” She mumbled.

The older elf sighed. “It’s alright, I know you have a destiny to fulfil. You’ll bring great things to the Realm.” She returned the hug, before letting go. “Go on dear. You and your friends should make a move before the sun’s gone and the forest gets too dark.” She gave everyone a warm smile, before the Chief came up behind them, ready to guide them to the gates again as he had done with Valera when she first time. Eloen watched them until they were out of view before she turned away from the window.

Chief Kalris followed them to the gates and bid them farewell and good luck, advising them to stay on the path for as long as they could see it before it faded back into grass and dirt with no discernible track. From there on they would stake their own trail until they came across the people they were to meet.

Valera pulled her horse aside to make way for Sha Lin to pass so that he could lead them. He took a moment to check his surroundings before turning towards the golden sun, beckoning for the rest to follow as his horse broke into a canter. He insisted it wasn’t too far off and they’d get there before the sun had been gone too long.

They only rode two hours, though they never seemed to be able to leave the expansive forest. It kept going on and on, and the settling darkness helped little in making the forest any smaller. The group was occasionally ask how soon it was until they got there, but Sha Lin would only respond with varieties of “soon” and “eventually” to the point where they gave up asking at some point. 

Time passed so slowly yet so quickly, and it Valera even asked, “Are we lost?”

“No, no,” The archer up front responded, though she noticed him looking around repeatedly.

“Really?” Valera pushed. “Because to me, it looks like you-“

The trees rustled, causing everyone to hush and stare over where the sound had some from. Everyone tensed up, weapons drawing as a giant figure came emerging from the trees. Even in the dark, they could tell it was massive. It didn’t matter what it was, it was just big. A faint torch illuminated the figure’s face, revealing rocky flesh barely covered by a heavy cloak.

“What th-!” 

Sha Lin noticed the collective action, swerving his horse to stand between the giant moving rock and his other friends. “Whoa, whoa! Calm down, everyone!”

There was the slightest hesitation from everyone, but weapons remained raised. The giant rock person looked down at the archer. “These your friends?” He muttered, unamused at the response. “I thought you said they’d be professional.”

Sha Lin gave the rock a grin. “Oh, they’re just a little scared by you, Terminus.” He returned his attention to the rest. “Come on guys, what’s so terrifying about a big rock man? He wouldn’t crush you. Maybe. I hope he doesn’t.”

Terminus grunted - a gesture as similar to a roll of the eyes if he could do so. “Come. It’s too dark out here.” He turned immediately, ignoring the rest of the group who hadn’t shown themselves to be very nice so far. He only kept pace with Sha Lin riding next to him, trudging through the forest.

Terminus led them to a seemingly-abandoned fortress, perhaps once belonging to a small-time warlord or baron. Parts of the fortress were gone too, showing its age all the more. The moving lump of rocks stomped his foot into the ground at the entrance, forcing the impossibly heavy stone doors to shift open. He waited until everyone was inside before closing it again.

He let his smaller, human companion show them where to keep their horses while he went to join with his only other friend, a fellow stagalla. She was in the fortress courtyard lifting and pulling stones to her wish, only noticing Terminus once he tossed another stray stone into the pile by her feet. She turned around.

“They’re here?” She asked, though she didn’t sound all too excited to have guests. Terminus nodded, and she put down the stones and stalactites. “We should go meet them.”

She let Terminus take her to wherever these ambitious heroes were. Truth be told, she was a little disillusioned already. There had been people in the past, people who wanted to help the Realm. They were all sorts, from common people to soldiers and royalty. So many of them failed too, but Inara had a little faith given that Sha Lin had brought them back himself. It must mean they were a good shot, right?

She tried to put on her best smile, and was a little surprised to see how simply ready they were. They weren’t like any random soldier or farmer or noble. They were warriors. “Greetings,” She called out to them. In all honesty, she wasn’t very sure what to say. Terminus just grunted. 

Sha Lin moved away from the little group to join his other, stone-made friends. “Well, we’re finally back. Let me introduce them. We’ve got Valera, Tyra, Ying and Lazaros with us.”

Perhaps if the stagalla hadn’t slumbered for so long after the Goblin Scourge or maybe went out more, Inara would have had a better idea of who Valera was. She didn’t seem to have much reaction to the name that would have struck awe and a little fear in most hearts. Still, she gracefully bowed a little. “It is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope your journey here has not been too troublesome.”

Valera stepped up to speak. “It’s no problem, really. Would you mind if I asked, what has been done so far in preparations of taking down the Magisatrate?” She was very forward with her questions, for she hated beating about the metaphorical bush.

That’s where Inara looked away for a moment. “In all honesty, not much. We have had plans in the past, but execution of them have been a failure due to the lack of resources. We had issues with recruiting the right people. They used to come every day to offer their help - farmers, soldiers, nobles and whatnot, but many of them weren’t prepared at all. Eventually we stopped trying to execute plans and waited for more members, which is when we sent Sha Lin out to scout.”

Valera nodded, taking in all the information Inara was giving. “Well, what plans did you execute in the past?”

“We’ve intercepted messengers, taken out a few groups passing by - we got some information mostly from messengers but it’s been months, so I doubt the information is anything new,” Inara mused. “You can see it if you want though, I have it all arranged chronologically back here.”

Valera followed Inara, but no one followed along. Terminus watched the two go, looking between them and the rest of the group still hanging around. “We have no real sleeping quarters. Apologies, but you can sleep where you like,” He grunted before turning and walking off.

Tyra snorted. “I guess here’s better than anywhere,” She grumbled, shrugging off her coat and rolling it into a roll. She dumped the rolled up coat on the stony ground and lay down, curling up to the side and facing her back to everyone.

Ying went to explore on her own, leaving Sha Lin and Lazaros there. The archer swung himself up onto the stairs, dashing up before pausing. He leaned over the railing, gesturing for Lazaros to follow. The messenger curiously trailed.

He blindly followed Sha Lin through the dark, only able to catch glimpses of red through the barely illuminated maze of an outpost. He got lost a few times, having to back track and find his way again. He eventually emerged on a balcony, where Sha Lin was waiting. Expecting a view full of stars, Lazaros was horridly shocked when he found himself staring at an abyss of endless darkness. Along the other wall of rock was metal sticking out; other parts of the outpost broken, a badly bent half of a bridge on the other side.

“Whoa what the-!” Lazaros felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the everlasting drop. He clung onto the cold metal railings, staring at Sha Lin in bewilderment as the archer laughed.

“Careful Laz, you wouldn’t want to drop that far,” Sha Lin teased. His laughter died away, smile fading. “I didn’t bring you hear to freak you out only though. I thought you might know something about this place since it’s ex-Magistrate. You know, way back after the first war when everything was just starting to go to shit.”

Lazaros scowled at the abyss like it meant anything. He leaned back, straightening his tunic that still bore the Magistrate’s blue and white, but not any emblem. He looked down at it, thinking he needed to find another shirt soon. “Well sorry to say that I don’t. I was just a messenger, and the Magistrate doesn’t let us know more than we need to do.”

“You never looked at the letters you delivered?” Sha Lin asked.

Lazaros frowned. “You think the Magistrate wouldn’t notice? Or whoever he was delivering it to? I’m not looking for a death wish. I didn’t even want to do his work. I’m kind of glad you guys picked me up.”

Sha Lin raised an eyebrow. “He forced you to do it?”

The younger man scoffed. “You think his people are all willing? No, most of us are forced into work. When he raided my village I begged him to spare my family. They took all of us, forced me to work, and I never saw them again. They kept telling me they were alive, but I doubt it. They never spoke about them after awhile, but who dares to try leave? Those who tried all died. People stopped trying after awhile.” He raised his hands and wiped away a few hot tears that were blinking their way to his freckled skin, frustrated as he talked about the hell he had been through. 

The archer stayed silent for awhile, letting Lazaros calm down a bit before speaking again. “Who did you deliver letters to, if I might ask?”

“Too many,” Lazaros muttered. “All over the Realm. Mostly House Aico because I was familiar with the route.”

“House Aico?” Sha Lin repeated rhetorically, musing over the name. He’d bring it up with Valera later. He knew little about the Houses, be it Aico or the others. But if they had a relationship with the Magistrate, it was worth bringing up. Deciding to switch subjects, Sha Lin folded his arms across his chest. “So your family, huh? What were they like? I bet they were some pretty good people.”

Lazaros sighed. “Well, we’re the Artem family. Hunters, you know? Short for the goddess Artemis. We mostly dealt in trade. Meat, pelts, whatever. My mom did leather tanning and stuff, my dad and I did the hunting, and my little sister, well she was learning to tend the farm. Barely an adult, she was,” He chuckled, “not going to lie, we were pretty well off. It also made us a good target once the Magistrate came rampaging through. What about you? What’s your story?”

Sha Lin smirked, chuckling to himself. “Oh, my story? It’s not much until the part where parents started telling children of my heroic tales. Maybe your parents told you stories of me.”

The young messenger snorted. “Please, you’re not much older than I am. You probably only got famous by the time I was an adult.”

“That’s fair. Eh, my story’s not interesting.” He shrugged. "All the good bits are in the stories people tell. Which I’m pretty certain you heard at some point.” He drew back from the railing as a few loose pebbles from above fell off the wall and fell into the darkness. “Come on, we should get back. If I had a room here I’d offer it, but I sleep on the floor if I happen to be here.”

They retreated from the balcony and back into the dark outpost, barely lit up by torches. Lazaros headed back down and found Tyra and Ying sleeping, while Valera was seated at a table not too far reading through letters. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had delivered any of those.

Valera looked up, hearing Lazaros. “Not sleeping yet?” She asked casually. There was an underlying tone of wariness in her voice, but she wasn’t openly hostile.

“No,” was all Lazaros could reply. “What are you reading?”

“Intercepted messages coming from the Magistrate. You wouldn’t happen to have delivered a few of these, would you?” Valera asked, flipping through the papers and their torn wax seals, trying to make anything of it.

“Don’t think so. I mostly travelled on the same route but never here.”

Valera frowned at the papers, annoyed at how everything she either already knew, or made no sense. Some of the messages were so vague that they wouldn’t understand them unless they had the full string of messages that had gone back and forth. She found that the messages were also address to many people across the Realm, and not any one particular person. She looked up at Lazaros. “You wouldn’t happen to have more messages, right?”

“Uh, no. You took all of them when we were in the Empire.” He paused a moment to think if there was more. “Oh! But the Scion of House Aico, whatever her name is - she gave me a… verbal letter.”

“A verbal letter?” Valera inquired, doubtful.

“Yeah. I was sent to deliver a message from the Magistrate to House Aico. She said something about the Magistrate owing her people. Slaves, I assume. She seemed rather angry about it. Likely the Magistrate hasn’t been paying off the things he owes.” Lazaros made sure he remembered all that he could about the encounter.

Valera straightened up. “Did you deliver it to the Magistrate?”

Lazaros shook his head. “You caught me before I could get out of the Empire on the way back. And then here we are now.”

Valera’s face turned to one of concentration, staring at nothing as her mind processed this extra information. “She didn’t happen to say what exactly people were to be used for, right?” She returned to silence after Lazaros confirmed that the Scion hadn’t said anything about it. She nodded slowly. That was quite a good lot of information, but it didn’t click with anything on the letters she had been going through. Her brows furrowed in concentration, but she came up with nothing.

She shook her head. “Alright, thanks for letting me know. Go sleep or whatever, I need to think a bit.” Lazaros nodded in understanding, taking his satchel and pushing it up against a corner of a wall as a pillow. Sighing as he felt the uncomfortable rocky ground, he lulled himself to sleep reminding himself that he’d slept in worse conditions.

Valera worked through the night, occasionally accompanied by the stagalla who needed no sleep. She thought of connections, the underlying meaning of the letters, what Lazaros had said, what she knew of the Magistrate. It wasn’t until the sun began to peek over the forested horizon that she fell asleep at the table. It didn’t matter however, for they didn’t need to ride off until much later and everyone else remained asleep on the hard floor. Here in that dark, abandoned outpost they were safe, and could finally have time to really think about things and settle on a plan of action.


	11. The Deepwerks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I've gone almost 3 weeks without any updates, but I got stuck at some point and just had to leave A Realm Divided to sit for a bit. But I'm back and past the writer's block, so here's a whopping 4k chapter for you.

Lazaros woke early regardless, his body clock used to getting up at sunrise. Seeing the rest of the group still asleep, he got up and crept through them, scouting for food. It appeared that there was little however, for the stagalla were used to only being one person that needed food. Realising that the measly amount of food they had collectively wasn’t enough, he snuck around until he ran straight into Terminus.

“Oh uh- jeez, sorry. Uh, do you happen to have a hunting bow and arrows around here? I’m going out to hunt for breakfast,” He explained to Terminus, who didn’t look very entertained. The giant stagalla snorted, wordlessly turning away and disappearing into a room, producing a decent bow. It hadn’t been used recently, given how it was coated in a generous layer of dust. Terminus dropped it into the hands of the young man. “Oh. Uh, thanks,” Laxaros muttered to the back of the stagalla as he strung up the bow.

Terminus opened the giant stone doors for him, letting the comparatively small person out into the forest. In daylight, it didn’t seem so dense anymore like it had the night before. It was refreshing, if anything, to be out there in the open once more. It had been awhile since he could take a walk like this, with no one watching. Behind him, Terminus grunted. “When you want to come back in, call out.” Without another word, the rock-man retreated back behind the massive stone walls and closed it.

“Right,” Lazaros muttered, staring at the shut doors behind. So now it was just him, this old bow, a few arrows, and the wild. No Valera, or Tyra, or giant rock people. He them remembered what he was out here to do, reminded by his growling stomach.

His family was made up of hunters, and he knew quite a few tricks on hunting. Dropping low to the ground, he began to wander into the trees, keeping an eye out for rabbits - maybe even deer.

As he went deeper into the forest, he found quite an ample amount of prey. Rabbits and junglefowl were plentiful, but not so easy to catch. It would have been a treat to find a pig, but wild ones weren’t common at all and he was not about to raid a village for a pig. 

He kept hunting, determined to find more food. Maybe if they saw his efforts, they’d be a little more welcoming. He knew only Sha Lin trusted him for now, so there was still work to do if he wanted the others to warm up to him. 

He went deeper into the forest, though he ensured he had a path back by marking trees with a cross as he went. When he came across an oblivious rabbit, he dropped into a low crouch, staying completely still against the light breeze. As long as he didn’t move and couldn’t be smelled, the rabbit wouldn’t notice him. He kept waiting for the rabbit to still, completely oblivious to the danger before he drew the bow, and fired.

Thwap! Lazaros hissed in frustration, watching the rabbit bound away. The arrow was buried into the ground exactly where the rabbit had been, but there it was running away. A loud screech a second before firing had the creature scrambling away. It noticed Lazaros now, and ran off.

Frustrated, Lazaros looked up to see what had alerted the rabbit, finding a grey bird flying over head. It would have passed off as any random bird, but the scroll strapped to its back identified it as a messenger bird. He couldn’t identify who it was from, but curious, he followed it.

Seeing it almost fly awhile, Lazaros loudly whistled at it to see if it would come back. The bird looked down, identifying Lazaros for it had delivered messages for him before. Going against all instinct, the bird detoured from its course and flew down to the ex-messenger.

At that moment Lazaros regretted not having his bracer for the bird’s talons dug into his arm, ducking itself a little to offer the scroll strapped to its back. Carefully, Lazaros used his free hand to wriggle the scroll out, seeing the Magistrate’s seal. He scowled. He couldn’t ever really get away, could he?

As he reached into his pocket to search for the knife he kept the bird hopped onto his shoulder, leaving both hands free for seal-breaking. Carefully, he slid the knife under the red wax and pried it off, the letter rolling open before him.

To all allied houses,

It has come to my attention that some of you have not paid what you owe. Let this be a reminder that our arrangements are due, and I expect to be delivered what I am owed in five days time. I will not tolerate being cheated, and I’m certain you won’t like it if I don’t see what I’m owed soon.

That said I ask that you all rally at the Deepwerks facility on the fifth day of your due, for I have some rather important information that you should all know. I expect representatives from each house to be present, and ensure that the Resistance does not know of this.

Signed,  
Grand Magister Karne.

As Lazaros read the message, he scowled, unsure for a moment if he should bring it to Valera and the others. But he had no food yet, and so he pocketed the scroll and kept hunting, and would talk about it later if at all. He set the messenger bird free, removing the scroll case strapped to it and sending it flying where it wanted to go.

He returned to the outpost doors, calling loudly. As Terminus had said, the doors opened for him a moment after he called, closing with a thud behind him as he was back in the dim outpost.

Around people had begun to wake, Valera sitting at the table with Tyra and Inara, tossing ideas back and forth. Deciding to keep the scroll for later, he tossed his kills on the table.

“Oh my- did you really have to put these here?” Inara asked, visibly a little upset at seeing dead rabbits and pigeons. On the other hand, Tyra looked quite delighted, already pulling out her knife and ready to skin the rabbits. Inara quickly got up, knowing what Tyra wanted to do, and excused herself from the room, retreating upstairs. 

As Tyra began to strip the rabbit fur carefully, she asked Valera to light a fire.

“There aren’t any sticks here,” Valera commented. Lazaros was ready to stand up, about to offer to go out and get sticks, but she waved him off. “I’ll get it. Help Tyra pluck feathers or something.”

Terminus helped Valera leave, and Lazaros sat down at the table with Tyra. He knew how to pluck feathers since his mother used to ask him to help after hunting. Sitting down, he made sure the scroll wouldn’t be seen in his pocket while he stripped the birds.

Tyra watched him as he quietly worked, noticing his dexterity. “You used to do this a lot?” She asked, deciding to push the quietness away.

“Oh, my family were hunters. My mom would ask me to help pluck birds if my sister was busy,” Lazaros replied.

“That’s your story?” Tyra asked.

“What?” Lazaros blindly asked.

“Surely there’s more than being a hunter?”

Lazaros frowned. Suddenly his history seemed like a distant memory, just out of his grasp. He remembered little about his past, but he dug deep into his memory anyway. “Well… we were traders. We sold pelts and meat and stuff and were pretty well off, but we didn’t meddle with the crystal business once the Magistrate dipped his hands in it, but they took them anyway.”

“What about before all that?” Tyra prompted. She wasn’t interested in hearing about the times regarding the Magistrate. She had enough of hearing about him to last a life time. She wanted to know the rest.

“Oh, hm. My sister and I would go down to the river as children and play. She loved the waters and the fish.” He trailed off, realising he genuinely didn’t remember more. The last few years of being in service of the Magistrate and not seeing his family had made them little but a faded memory. He put down the plucked bird, his eyes glazing over in confusion. How could they slip away so fast? He didn’t even remember what his parents looked like.

He was shaken back to reality when Tyra reached forward and nudged his hand. “Hey. It’s okay,” She told him, offering him a smile. Truth be told, she didn’t remember much about her family, or whatever little bit she had of one. She had one younger sister but that was about all the family she had. Up until now, of course. 

Lazaros seemed to remember something as Valera returned with firewood, mostly made up of loose sticks, twigs, and dried leaves. She also had a handful of rocks to circle the fire, though nothing around it should burn too hard since it was just concrete. 

It never hurt to be careful however, and she began to arrange the firewood neatly to ensure the fire would catch on quickly. Sha Lin came downstairs when he heard unsuccessful strikes of stick against stick, taking the pair of sticks from Lazaros and artfully rubbing them against each other until a fire had started. Tyra would have done it if she wasn’t still skinning the rabbit, having been distracted from it while talking to Lazaros earlier.

“Why do you know how to do this?” Lazaros asked, “Isn’t the desert so hot that sticks could catch fire on their own?”

Sha Lin smiled. “The desert nights are freezing cold and I’m usually not indoors at night. It’s all a part of basic survival knowledge. Can’t you light a fire either?”

Lazaros was quick to defend himself over a small task. “What- of course I can! I just haven’t done it in awhile and usually I have flint and steel,” He exclaimed.

The archer laughed over Lazaros’s defensiveness. “I believe you,” He replied, raising his hands in acceptance. Tyra carefully sharpened one of the spare twigs and used it to suspend the rabbit over the fire, everyone watching as it slowly cooked.

“So, I think we haven’t gotten to know a few of us well enough,” Tyra started idly. Valera looked over. “Let’s hear everyone’s stories today.”

Ying, who had been very quiet the entire time, spoke up when Tyra prompted her with a glance. Gracefully from her sitting position floating an inch off the floor she rose into a semi-stand, legs never once touching the concrete floor. She bowed lightly. “I am Ying of the Golden Valley. It’s an elven village, but unlike the forest villages we live by a river and fishing and rearing aquatic beasts is our main form of income instead of hunting and pelt trading. I’m a spellcaster and healer, and for the last year I have travelled the outskirts of the Empire, helping villages stepped on by the Magistrate to get back on their feet.” 

Finished with her brief story, she sat back down, legs folded to the side and again never once touching the ground. They went in a circle, coming to Sha Lin who offered Ying a dashing smile, clearly interested by her story. He had no problem launching into his own story, but there wasn’t much about his childhood that he cared to divulge. Valera and Tyra had heard his story already and Lazaros’s eyes seemed to spark with familiarity as he remembered a few vague stories of the legendary archer.

Lazaros didn’t say much except about the fact that his family were hunters, and glossed over his involvement with the Magistrate entirely, deciding to just say he was a messenger for a few houses. He thought about briefly, of what was going to happen after all this.

The whole group knew of Valera and her history, but she told her story anyway again. Sympathetic smiles rippled through the small group as she talked about what her village was like before the chaos they had seen a few days ago. She wondered how they were doing.

Then Tyra told whatever little story she had. She grew up on the Frontier, a constantly-chaotic, frozen wasteland where fighting was a common occurrence and food was scarce. She learned to hunt and shoot there, and when the first war upon the Realm descended she joined the original Paladins in striking down monsters, and stuck with unfortunately, the Magistrate after, though she didn’t agree with what he was doing after the Crystal Revolution.

They went into silence again for awhile, Tyra occasionally poking the rabbit with her dagger to check if it was cooked. Lazaros reached into his pocket, producing a scroll. 

Valera eyed it with interest. “What’s this?”

“I found a messenger bird from the Magistrate. I think you’d be interested in it,” Lazaros replied. Without a second’s hesitation, he offered the scroll to Valera, who was a little surprised at how he hadn’t hesitated. It showed her where his loyalties lay.

She read it out loud, the rest of the group listening quietly. Even Inara and Terminus stood around the wall, listening on. Once she was done, she gave the group glances. They seemed to be thinking hard about the letter.

Valera had an idea. “I think I know what to do.”

“Well?” Tyra asked.

“Let’s go to the Deepwerks facility.” 

It seemed so simple. Go to the facility, eavesdrop on the Magistrate, and get out. 

“It’s a good idea, but do we know how to get there?” Ying piped up. 

There was more silence, then Terminus stepped out from his corner. “We know how to go there,” He rumbled. Before Valera could say more, he added on. “Tomorrow sunrise. We will go.”

The next morning just an hour before the sun began to rise they left, Inara and Terminus taking the group through out of the forest and back into the desert, though they passed the Empire and went on till the desert began to become closed off by mountains. The guards, seeing the group, immediately went into a defensive stance, spears pointed at them.

“No entry,” One of the orc guards grumbled.

Terminus rolled his eyes. “Inspection,” He grunted in return. For a moment the orc refused to let up, but after seeing how large this rock’s fists were, decided against holding them up any further. He had also not been given any instruction on any inspectors, so he reluctantly let them through.

Deepwerks was split into two areas. There was the mining site, and the workshop. The mine was both underground and above where goblins mined day in day out for gold and other metals with the help of mechanical digging suits used to speed up the process. Then there was the workshop, a giant sheltered area mostly located underground where elves and dwarves experimented and tinkered with the metals and other things found in mining. The workshop was also home to quite a few great minds who helped develop new technology and weaponry for the Realm. 

As of late however, whatever inventions went on in here seemed to be contained to the Magistrate and a few select people that could pay the ridiculously high price for whatever went on down here. No longer was the Deepwerks an open source for creators alike to come work or visit. And the goblins didn’t mine for gold anymore, and were told to mine for crystals. Anything else they found they could keep.

“We should split up,” Tyra whispered to Valera. The elf nodded, spreading the message to the rest of the group. Inara and Terminus had to keep up the pretence of inspecting, roaming the workshop and mines and eyeing on people’s work. No one noticed them, or cared to respond.

Lazaros went off to the lower floors of the workshop, staying completely inconspicuous as his plain tunic and breeches made him look like just another random worker. Sha Lin followed him, but went invisible with a slight shimmer of air like the desert heat that beat down on the surface of the Deepwerks. He’d be able to explore freely without anyone noticing as long as he stayed invisible and didn’t bump into anyone.

In an attempt to not stick out like a thorn, Valera kept away her headpiece and messily tied her hair up in a pony tail, sheathing her sword while Tyra kept her gun on her back. They went separate ways, and Ying went to wander around. Valera and Tyra split up as well. 

Lazaros tried his best not to look so anxious, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was constantly being watched, and his greatest fear was being identified. This was the Magistrate’s territory, and he hadn’t been gone long enough to be forgotten, he didn’t think.

Except that no one cared one bit to look at him. If anything, they would have greatly feared him if he had his coat bearing the Magistrate’s symbol, even if he was just a messenger and little more. But he couldn’t find himself relaxing, even though no one dared to cast him a second look. 

For a moment he swore he noticed a faint glimmer in the air, seeing the tip of a longbow poke out a little before it disappeared. Lazaros couldn’t figure out if it was real or just a figment of his scared mind trying to reassure him, but he felt a little safer on the assumption that the friendly archer was hiding around.

He kept going past workbenches, sneaking quick glances at the marvellous work people were doing. Crystals were abundant here for the inventors of the Deepwerks to use, and many weapons were being fitted with them alongside other things that weren’t meant for use in battle.

As he attempted to navigate the maze of tunnels he somehow ended up in the second wing of the Deepwerks, which looked exactly the same except bigger, louder, and contained a lot more people.

Everyone was working on something different. Weapons, experimental technology, mining equipment, everything possibly crafted was right there. But amidst the bustling work he noticed someone confronting a worker. The one being confronted was a short dwarf with bright orange hair and an impressive beard.

They appeared to be arguing over whatever the worker was making for they kept gesturing it from time to time. The one confronting was a tall woman with short hair and a rifle on her back. Lazaros recognised her fr he had seen her around before, though he never talked to her. He knew she sucked up to the Magistrate in her junior years, and Lazaros had likely been in service of the Magistrate longer than that bootlicker had. But Karne enjoyed a few bootlickers trying their best to earn his favour.

Lazaros had half a mind to go tell that woman to back off, but before he was ready to go storming off something invisible grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

“Someone’s angry,” Sha Lin cheerfully teased as he appeared from thin air in his hiding spot by the door. He peered at what Lazaros was glaring at. “You know them?” He asked.

“Only kind of with the lady. Bootlicker. I don’t know the dwarf,” Lazaros muttered. He slinked behind the open too to make sure no one could see him or his friend. They peered over again, seeing the dwarf angrily huffing as the woman folded her arms in contempt. She kept her composure, but the dwarf was red in the face and fuming. 

They watched with interest as the orange-haired dwarf turned away from the woman and hastily packed his toolbox, glaring at her in defiance before shoving his way out of the workshop. The woman said something to him, but they couldn’t hear over the loud chatter and noise of the workshop, but whatever she said must have had little effect on the mechanic for he kept going without a second glance back.

The dwarf shoved the door open with a little too much force, smacking Lazaros in the face with it. He hissed, suddenly stopping as the dwarf turned around and noticed him. Sha Lin had gone invisible again. The dwarf stared at him, before sighing. “Not gettin’ back to ye workspace?” He asked.

Lazaros pushed the heavy door away from him, rubbing his cheek. He said nothing to the dwarf, and the latter snorted and walked off, muttering something about ‘getting away from the damned place'. Once he was gone, Sha Lin appeared again, not having moved one bit from his spot. 

“Well that’s an interesting man. We should tell Valera about him,” The archer mused.

“Thanks for asking if I’m fine,” Lazaros retorted.

Sha Lin laughed. “I know you can take more than a door to the face. Come on, we should go find the others.”

The dwarf mechanic went by the name Barik, and he was absolutely through with the place. For the last few months after the Magistrate had closed the area off and turned it from an open workshop that invited inventors to a little prison, Barik and other mechanics had taken a bit of abuse, especially after that damned supervisor Vivian had been promoted to taking charge of security at the Deepwerks.

In the past almost anything went. If someone wanted to make mining technology instead of weaponry, they could. But now, even if inspiration was running low, the mechanics had to stick with whatever they had been assigned. And most of it was weaponry for the Magistrate’s army.

That woman Vivian had been little help too. She would make trouble for everyone in the entire workshop, breaking things, ordering unfinished projects to be scrapped and redone from scratch, chasing people for things due that she had made so troublesome, and treating the mechanics like slaves. They only had free time to work on personal projects when she left to go to the other wings, giving them an hour or so to work on personal things.

But if she found out they were doing so, there were dire consequences. Others had seen the results. They were used as an ‘example’. And what she did was sick, cruel, and twisted. They never came out the same, if at all. 

Barik quietly packed his stuff, taking with him his toolbox and a bag with his personal belongings. In his bag he kept a small bag of assorted crystals. He was certain he would need them in the future. He was going to leave, and never come back to this hellhole. When he left, he locked his room door and took the keys with him.

As he walked down the familiar hallways he felt something following. It was the same presence as earlier when he accidentally swung a door into some kid’s face. But this time, when he turned around he wasn’t there. No one was. So he kept going. 

The group of seven had regathered at the surface gates, Lazaros and Sha Lin telling the rest of this one mechanic they saw earlier. Barik took the opportunity of the guards on their lunch break to leave. The second he made it out of the gates, he dashed for cover. Sha Lin noticed him go.

“Well. He just ran off,” The archer mentioned, watching the tiny man stumble as he ran before ducking behind rocks for cover. For someone so small, he was incredibly fast, and he was out of sight before the guards turned back to their duty.

“What do you mean, ‘he ran off’?” Valera repeated.

“I mean, he just made a run for cover outside. Something tells me we should talk to him.” 

They approached casually, but Barik, swearing under his breath, was ready to dash again. But amongst their group he noticed the kid he swung a door at earlier and remained, curious as to what he was doing.

As Lazaros peeked behind the rock, Barik stared at him. “What, ye running too?” He asked.

Lazaros squinted in confusion. “…No, I was just walking.” He paused, before realising the actual question. “Oh- no no, I don’t work there. We wanted to talk though.”

Barik eyed the whole group with suspicion. “Yeah? What about?”

Terminus stepped between them before more questions could fly. “Not here. We go back then talk,” He grunted. Barik looked the stagalla up and down, distrust obvious in his eyes. “You come or not. I do not care.” With Inara by his side, he began to trudge back to the horses who had been grazing what little grass existed by the cliff walls.

Lazaros’s pleading eyes had Barik admitting defeat and accepting their offer to travel. As he rode, he watched Valera, trying to pinpoint whatever fact it was that he knew about it. She seemed familiar, but yet not quite with her hair tied and headpiece gone. He’d figure it out later however. 

He rode next to Lazaros with Inara and Terminus leading the front, then Valera and Tyra guarding the flanks, and Sha Lin and Ying bringing up the rear. Barik eyed Lazaros every now and then, which the younger man didn’t pick up on.

“Yer strange,” Barik commented, shaking Lazaros to reality.

“What?” Lazaros replied blankly.

“I said, yer strange.”

Lazaros was confused. “How so?”

Barik mused. “I know ye worked for that bastard Magistrate,” He said so simply.

“…How did you know?” The young messenger asked.

“I saw it in your eyes when I looked at you. You were scared, and I know not because of that woman Vivian. You were scared of a presence in the facility, and I know the feeling too,” Barik admitted. There was always this looming presence of the Magistrate’s eyes in the Deepwerks. Barik had learned to ignore it for the most part. 

“What were you? Not a soldier definitely, with those bird arms. Intelligence? Scout?”

Lazaros instinctively rubbed his arm at the comment. “Messenger,” He quietly replied.

Barik nodded, but said no more. He had questions to ask, but figured it would be best left for the elf riding up front later. If this was where he genuinely hoped it was going, then maybe he would have a chance at being able to turn the Deepwerks back into what it used to be once that damned Magistrate and Vivian had been run out.


	12. A Mistake Waiting to Happen

Valera realised that there was time to pass between that first day they infiltrated the Deepwerks facility and the fifth day the message sent by the Magistrate where they would drop in to eavesdrop on a meeting he was to hold

In that time, she decided it was time to get serious about certain things. She needed to talk to the newest addition to their group, legendary dwarven mechanic Barik, about new weapons and also something better for Lazaros to wear since he had no armour compared to the rest, and no weapons beyond that small dagger.

She sat down with Barik every day to talk about forging new weapons, trying to work out what he could do about it. Having stolen a pouch full of crystals, he could start upgrading some of the weapons they already had, installing new crystals onto Ying’s mirror and Sha Lin’s longbow, as well as modifying Tyra’s rifle to fit a few crystals here and there.

Barik agreed to make Tyra a new sword with a blade forged from pure crystals, assuming that more could be stolen from the Deepwerks when they went back. 

Lazaros’s armour could be done in the mean time. It was nothing fancy, but would definitely take more bullets than just plain cloth. He got a leather coat with a few handles to slot throwing knives into, metal bracers and greaves, and a proper scabbard on a belt with his old dagger, polished and sharpened. And in his hands he now had a submachine gun, which would come in handy for sure.

And while at first Lazaros insisted that Barik shouldn’t do it because he couldn’t pay, Valera offered to pay with a crystal that her mother had wrapped up in the flag of the Paladins she gave her too. Barik however, insisted that he didn’t need to take payment since his work was for a better cause. But he took the crystal anyway and set it aside in a locked box for later when he had to melt everything down to make a blade.

They stayed hidden as possible for the few days between their last infiltration to the Deepwerks, and their next. There was the concern of security since Barik was certain that Vivian was going to be on high alert for now, but he carefully crafted a plan with the rest of their growing team. He knew the ins and outs of the Deepwerks and they… they know how to wreak havoc, probably. With a few amendments to the plan as they saw fit it should work, and they would get some valuable information.

It was on the fifth day after their first invasion to the Deepwerks that Valera, Lazaros, and Ying went back. Barik told Valera he rather not return to it and he had work to do back at the base, and Terminus and Inara remained behind to guard the outpost. It wasn’t like the stagalla would be able to fit into a vent anyway. Sha Lin offered to hunt while they were gone to stock up on food with a growing number of people that needed it, and Tyra figured they didn’t need so many people crawling around in hot, stuffy vents. 

The message hadn’t specified when the meeting was supposed to happen, so Valera wanted to go in the early hours of morning just in case though Lazaros stopped her, saying that he only ever had meetings in the evening. It would be stupid to also hide in a vent for the entire day. Valera had her doubts, but she agreed anyway. Even in the past before the Golden Age Karne liked his meetings in the evening for he slept throughout most of the morning like a slob.

Valera couldn’t help but smile a little at the memories of when Karne was her friend. They were really close friends, maybe even best friends though neither of them ever said it. Ambitious, proud, protective. She wished they could have stayed friends if he hadn’t gone down a misguided path, but now he was in too deep for redemption. 

“Did you hear me?”

Valera snapped out of her trance. “What?” She asked blindly. 

“Were you listening? You seemed dazed.” It was Lazaros in front of her.

“Oh, uh, no,” Valera admitted. 

“I said we’re ready to leave,” Lazaros reminded her.

Shaking herself back into reality, she reminded herself that Karne was an enemy and no longer a friend. Any notions of friendship had ended the day he abandoned his place as a Paladin and became a tyrant. “Right. Let’s go. We should use as much daylight as we can before it gets dark.” 

The three of them mounted and took off in the evening sun, rich gold light washing over them as they took the same trail they had taken a few days ago to get back to the Deepwerks. Without stopping too often for rest, they managed to cross the desert in a day’s ride. 

By the time they got to the Deepwerks it was nightfall again. The facility was lit up, though not work energy as enthusiastic inventors worked through the night, eager to see their projects finished. Instead it felt cold and stale, tired people forced to keep working at the risk of falling asleep and being caught by the supervisor. 

As expected, security had been doubled at all entrances, but Barik’s map had a few notes on security shift changes, which would provide an opportunity to slip through. Not through the gates however, for they’d be spotted almost instantly. Instead they waited by a tunnel entrance, one of the many caves linking to the Deepwerks facility.

Valera remained as vigilant as ever, though she noticed both her companions hiding were acting very differently. Ying was highly alert, sharpened ears pricking at the slightest of sounds much like Valera herself, while Lazaros was as still as a log, completely unseen by anyone who glanced their way as long as he didn’t move even an inch. It was an old hunting trick - you’d never be seen as long as you didn’t move. 

They waited for an hour, Lazaros having no issue remaining still while Ying occasionally would have to shift a tiny bit. Valera had to consciously force herself to keep still. Her patience was wearing off, and the grass was itching her, but my some stroke of luck the orcs guarding the gate began to shift wearily, obviously tired from standing for so long. They took one last visual sweep of the area for any imminent danger before deciding they were satisfied as the quietness and moving off. They only had a small window of time to act, for the next shift would come soon. Once the orcs ere out of earshot and chatting over something trivial, Valera got up slowly as ever, stretching out a cramp in her leg before beckoning Lazaros and Ying to follow. 

The tunnel entrance was only covered by some stacks of wood and logs and it didn’t take long to just pull the obstructions away before slipping in and disappearing down the dark tunnel. The walls were barely reinforced with a few wood planks and lit up only by dim torches spread out too far from each other. Lazaros choked a little at the dust. 

But their plan wasn’t to just travel down the whole tunnel and come out on the other side in the bright main facility, no. Barik’s map indicated a good number of air vents lining the sides of the tunnels to ensure that those working down there wouldn’t suffocate to death, and it wasn’t far before they came across their first vent. It was bolted to the wall, but Ying stepped up confidently with her mirror. It melted the bolts right off the vent with concentrated light and heat, and Lazaros had to grab the vent’s metal grill before it fell off the wall with a crash. Valera climbed through, followed by Ying, then Lazaros.

“Okay, what are we looking for, exactly?” Lazaros asked in a hushed whisper. Maybe it was his nerves or the echo of the vent, for it seemed to amplify his voice.

“A meeting room. Barik’s map doesn’t specify where exactly but it points to a general location. We’ll split up and find it,” Valera responded. At a crossroads Valera turned left, signalled for Ying to go right, and Lazaros went straight on.

It was a maze of twists and turns, dead ends and awkwardly backing up as they ran into unrelated rooms, bellies low to the metal and praying that it wouldn’t give way under them. 

Time didn’t seem real in the vents, and Lazaros had no idea how long they had been creeping around in there. He went from one room to another, then back again, having no real idea of where he was going. Sometimes he would get out of a room and actually make progress, only to circle around in confusion and go back. It was frustrating to say the least, and he was getting very confused. Sometimes he would just sit in the vent and try to get his bearings and some air. And he hoped that his friends were having more success. 

He backed up and started going down random paths, hoping he would just get out of the workshop. At some point he got to the rooms, but he back out of it again when he figured there was nothing there. 

He was tired. His body was aching from crawling all around and being unable to stretch, and being tired meant that he was also getting careless. With heavy limbs he was less careful about how he was balancing his weight. He had been pretty good at avoiding loose vents so far, but in his tired state he slipped up.

Bad news was that he fell through the vent and onto the ground. Good news was that somehow he had stumbled onto the meeting room. More bad news was that Grand Magister Karne was staring at him. If it were not for the fact that Lazaros had just fallen three metres from a vent, he might have tried to escape. But for now, unconsciousness seemed pretty good.

Karne clicked his tongue, a smirk forming on his face as he knew that the bait for his trap had been taken. And what a surprise that it was that messenger he sent to House Aico some weeks back too! He snapped his fingers, alerting the two orc guards at the door.

“Search the area, air vents included. I get the feeling my dear friend Valera is hiding somewhere around,” He commented. Before the two orcs left, Karne beckoned for one to come to him. “Oh, and take the boy outside. I have an announcement to make.”

The orc grunted, picking up the unconscious Lazaros by one hand and dragging him outside behind the Magistrate, who went out to the common corridor where his voice would echo loud and clear.

“Oh, Valeras my dear. I know you’re out there somewhere,” He called. From the air vents on the east wing, Valera could hear him easily, as did Ying who had found Valera in the vents. Valera gestured for Ying to stay quiet, listening further. Karne continued, not expecting a reply. “I have something you might be interested in. A redhead boy - a messenger of mine. I have no interest in him anymore, but I think you do. Show yourself, Valera, and maybe I won’t hurt him.” Still, silence. Karne sighed. “Oh well, what a shame. I thought you’d be a little more caring. No matter, I will have fun taking off his head.”

Valera heard the familiar sound of metal scraping against metal, and she realised with wide eyes that Karne was not playing. Lazaros really didn’t mean much to him, and he would have no issue slaughtering him there. Desperate, she kicked out the nearest grill of the vent and dropped down onto the second floor’s corridor, even if it made he exposed. Ying quietly followed her, though Valera had no doubt Ying would try her best to protect her.

“Karne, stop!” Valera called down. The Grand Magister looked up where he heard his name, wickedly smiling at Valera. 

“Ah, I thought you’d show up.” He had a sword in his hand, and Valera realised how close he had been to killing Lazaros. “Guards, arrest them. But don’t kill her. I’d like to talk things out. Oh, and take the boy too. He’ll be useful later.” He sheathed his sword and walked away, and at that moment Valera realised this had been a trap. She kicked herself mentally for not realising it sooner, and could only snarl in protest as the orcs surrounded her and Ying, binding their hands behind their back and confiscating their weapons. There was a shuffle as one of the orcs fiddle with something, then a loud crack and nothing but black as the butt of a rifle connected with her head.

Lazaros woke up head pounding, body sore, and vision blurry. He heard something but couldn’t quite register what it was until his vision became clear and the fog in his mind dissipating. The soreness and headache didn’t go away with it. 

“Ah, you’re awake,” A voice started. Lazaros looked in the direction, fearing that it wasn’t who he thought it was, only that his greatest fear was true. He was face to face with the Magistrate, and with a yelp of terror he scrambled to the back of the holding cell he was in. Wide eyed and chest heaving, he looked around desperately for Valera or Ying, though he didn’t feel good seeing only the young spellcaster in the cell across him. Karne laughed cruelly, though there was no humour in his eyes. “Why do you look so afraid? I’m not going to hurt you,” He mentioned. “I’d like to talk, actually. What is your name?”

Lazaros couldn’t find his voice, only understand that the Magistrate was nothing but a liar. He said it last time too, I’m not going to hurt you. Yeah, right. Maybe he hadn’t been hurt but his family had been, or so he assumed after they disappeared. He flinched hard as Karne tapped the cell bars, expecting Karne to strike him. “What is your name?” Karne repeated.

Lazaros knew never to make the Magistrate ask a third time. “L-Lazar-ros,” Hr shakily replied.

“Well, Lazaros, no need to seem so scared. Come, I only want to talk.” The Magistrate seemed so composed, so honest. Lazaros learned early that it was a lie, but he also learned never to refuse the Magistrate or there’d be consequences. Slowly he got up, both due to his hesitation, not knowing what the Magistrate wanted, and because his body was aching and sore. Two soldiers walked behind him, one pushing him as he lagged behind though the soldier only got a cold stare from the Magistrate. 

Karne led the messenger to his office, which was a grand room lavishly decorated. In the middle was a table, with one large chair on one side, and a smaller one of the other. Karne took his place at the large chair, gesturing for Lazaros to sit. He did so, but was perched on the edge in case he needed to bolt for the door. 

“Can I offer you a drink?” Karne asked. “I don’t want you to think we’re enemies. I just want some information is all, and you’re free to go after that. You and the other girl can both go after this.” As part of his show of false hospitality, he poured a glass of water and offered it to Lazaros. The younger man only drank when he saw the Magistrate our himself a glass from the same jug and drink it. It was only his natural precaution to be wary of poison, but admittedly was satisfied with the unpoisoned water, as much as he knew it was a way for the Magistrate to win him over.

Karne set down his glass and leaned back in his chair, finger interlacing with one another. “All I have is one simple question.” He leaned forward in his seat. “What is Valera planning?”

Lazaros avoided eye contact and stayed silent. He didn’t know how to answer that without getting his head chopped off in an instant. Karne leaned back in his chair again. “Okay, maybe we’ll start with a simpler question. Maybe Valera hasn’t told you much. Does she know of your affiliation with me?”

The messenger nodded. Karne rubbed his greying beard. “What do you know? Tell me, and you can go.” He looked behind Lazaros to the guards at the door. “If later I say he goes, he goes. Escort him to the gates and do not follow him. If he wants he can take the other girl with him.” The guards nodded in understanding. The deal was made, and now Lazaros had to respond. Karne turned his attention back to Lazaros. “So, Lazaros, how about we start talking?”

“It’s a bit concerning that they’re not back yet.”

“This is Valera we’re talking about.”

“I know, I know it’s just that… it’s been too long. They’re supposed to be back by now.” 

“We’re not exactly an army here, we can hardly storm the place,” Sha Lin mused as he roasted a quail over a fire. His hunting had been more successful that the past few days, and while he wondered why prey was so abundant now, he didn’t question it. 

Tyra was seated on the other side of the fire, sewing together a hole where her cloak had been ripped. She had to get a new one soon. Barik was at that table, fitting her rifle with crystals. A seed of uncertainty was sowing within, but Sha Lin had a point. Valera had gone off-track quite a few times already but it was usually for good reason, and maybe she just found something interesting that needed some attention.

Sha Lin sensed her uncertainty, perceptive as he was. “I’ll hunt some more today. If they’re not back by tomorrow evening, we’ll go and look for them ourselves. Okay?”

Tyra nodded blankly, her eyes fixed on nothing. She was certain everything was fine, or so she tried to tell herself.


	13. False Civility

Valera tried not to curse, but if there was any reason to, now there was. She cursed under her breath, locked away in one of the Magistrate’s towers. There was only one way in and one way out, and that way was heavily guarded, day and night. The other option was out the window, and there was no water below to break her fall, so that wasn’t an option at all.

She had no idea where Lazaros and Ying were if they were even still alive, but she figured that they’d be used as bargaining chips against her since Karne had no other leverage.

The room she was locked in was surprisingly lavish, and Karne hadn’t been outright aggressive towards her. It was his way of trying to soften her with nice things and try plead with the part of her that wished they were still friends, but the cold, steely part pushed that soft bit away.

Despite being locked up and facing her greatest enemy however, she admitted that the room was nice and she allowed herself a nap on the bed to catch up on a bit of sleep. After all, there was no point in fighting Karne when she was sleep deprived.

Some hours after she woke up again did a servant knock on the door and unlock it. Valera stared at him, noticing how he looked very tiny compared to the soldiers guarding him. Or rather, the soldiers ensuring that Valera didn’t try to escape. Valera also noticed that the soldiers, gruff as they were, weren’t real soldiers. They had a look about them that indicated farmers and other hard-working professions, but not intimidating enough to be real soldiers. 

“Valera, Grand Magister Karne has requested that you uh, dine with him,” The servant told Valera. Even he sounded confused at the offer he was asked to make.

Valera scoffed. “Dine with him? What am I, his guest suddenly?”

The servant lowered his head. “The Grand Magister does not suggest you decline.”

“Tell me, are my friends alive?” Valera asked. She doubted the servant would hesitate to answer that. It was the only thing swaying her decision. 

The servant boy nodded. “Yes, miss. I’m sure the Grand Magister can tell you more about them if you accept.”

It didn’t take long for the elf to analyse the situation. For one thing, it would be good to be able to observe Karne up close and assuming the food was not poisoned, it was the only time she’d eat well for awhile, she expected. But there was the risk of poison or traps. And then there was the issue of her friends, which she was sure she could weed out a bit of information from Karne. 

She took a deep breath, hoping this was the right decision. “Alright, I accept.”

Karne half expected Valera to say no, but he very well knew that Valera could be unpredictable at times. And this was a time when her unpredictability showed, when she showed up to dinner without much resistance.

“Ah, Valera. How nice of you to join me,” Karne mused with a smile. Valera knew that there was no warmth in the smile. “I’m surprised you came without much resistance.”

“I’m not here for false civility, Karne,” Valera warned, as she took a seat in the grand dining hall. She had been here once, way back on the night the Paladins disbanded. It was their last dinner together as a group of warriors and peacekeepers, and now she sat alone with only a corrupt governor as her companion. 

Servants came in with massive dishes of food. A waste, Valera thought, since she would eat little. One of them poured wine for them into jewelled chalices. All the while Valera took note of Karne’s almost cat-like eyes watching her from across the table. 

They were both very good observers, though Valera knew a little more about not making it obvious that she knew things he didn’t. It was so obvious to her that he was watching her and had a plan going on just from the way he looked at her, but she refused to give any hint of her thoughts in return. 

“This is pointless, Karne,” Valera suddenly mentioned. Karne looked across the table at her and waved off the servants. They scurried out of the room, not wanting to be involved in anything about to happen.

“How do you mean?” Karne asked in return. 

“You know you can’t sway me with all this.” She gestured to the table of food, which she was certain was poisoned given that Karne was not eating either. 

“I’m not looking to sway you, Valera,” Karne replied simply. “I’m just trying to be civil.”

Valera scowled, standing up suddenly and slamming her palms on the table. “As if you have been civil to the Realm for the last five years!” She shouted across the table, furious.

Karne met her burning gaze evenly, his steely cold eyes fighting against the blazing flames of Valera. “You saw the consequences of letting crystals fall into the hands of commoners. Common sorcerers. Wizards. People who abused the power given to them. You saw that people died to those who used crystals to attack people. You saw people die in the blasts when crystals were overcharged. I was only protecting the people, Valera. Or maybe you didn’t see it, because you were back home ignoring everything going around you.

“If the people had just kept crystals to use to light up their homes or keep a fire burning, I would never have taken them away. But people were abusing it, Valera. You know it. That’s something you cannot deny,” Karne snapped. He waved to one of the guards on the side, four guards taking Valera back upstairs.

Now it was time to talk to Lazaros again.

Karne was pretty sure he was going to get Lazaros to crack this time. The kid had been surprisingly resilient and Karne had not been ready at first. He knew that Lazaros knew of his own initial surprise at the refusal of a proposal he had given Lazaros a day ago or so.

We’re not leaving without Valera, Lazaros insisted. He gave no answer to any question Karne was even remotely interested in. But there was the other girl. He wasn’t going to ask her questions, no. She didn’t seem to know much. But Lazaros did, and that other girl was a good bargaining chip.

So he summoned for them.

The guards showed up in hardly any time with them. With a flick of his wrist Karne beckoned for them to come closer. The guards shoved Lazaros forward, keeping Ying in their grasp.

“Why bring her?” Lazaros snapped, even though a sinking feeling in his stomach told him what was going to happen already. He kept giving Ying glances, trying to steel himself.

Karne smiled. “I think you know why.”

Lazaros curled his lips in a snarl, attempting to look intimidating. "She knows nothing.”

“Oh I know that,” Karne teased. He stood up, retrieving his staff from where it lay on a mantle. On the tip of the staff was a red crystal, glowing with power. “But every lock has a key, and it’s right in front of me. So I will ask you a question, and if I don’t like your answer your friend there will pay for it.”

There it was. Lazaros’s heart sunk, but here he had no weapons, no power, no resistance against the Magistrate. Turning around, he could see Ying had steeled herself

“So,” Karne began, “let’s begin.”

 

Lazaros really had nothing to worry about except for himself. The night before, they had devised a plan. While the Magistrate had taken all their weapons, he didn’t realise that Ying was a very, very talented spellcaster, and that she could just make a new one out of nothing with a simple spell. And once she had her mirror, she could cast her illusions and teleport between them.

It had taken awhile to set up the whole plan, but it was now in place, and the “Ying” in the Magistrate’s office with Lazaros was only an illusion. 

Across Stone Keep were three cleverly placed illusions. One in the Magistrate’s office, one by the tower Valera was locked in, and one near the castle walls. Ying had gone to Valera to inform her of what was happening the night before since they hadn’t been able to talk since the Deepwerks, and today she would also break the lock. Just as Karne was about to destroy the illusion in his office, she would teleport to it and teleport Lazaros out with her to the wall. Valera would have to fight her way out to the wall as well where they could escape over it into the river and swim to safety.

So far, the plan was working. No one had found her illusions yet, and she timed herself according to guard shifts so that she wouldn’t be seen.

Valera was pressed against the door, checking for any sounds. For once, she didn’t have much of a plan but she did always listen out for guards showing up. When there came a light tapping, she stayed completely still.

“Valera, it’s me. I’m here,” Ying whispered. She didn’t hesitate to start breaking the lock with her mirror as soon as she was sure that no guards were near to hear it. The lock melted easily under the heat of the mirror’s laser, but Valera had been told last night not to leave until she had Lazaros out. If Karne knew that Valera was free, he would kill Lazaros without hesitation. 

“Wait until you see the illusion shatter. Oh, and don’t stand too close to it when it does. Meet us at the south wall. It’s the only one with a river under it. Good luck Valera.” Ying wished her good luck before she disappeared, switching her illusions out.

Valera waited in anticipation, retreating from the door to find a weapon. Once Karne realised that he’d been tricked, he’d be sure to come after her. The room didn’t have a lot of things that could be used, but there was a lamp and a few logs of wood in the unlit fireplace. She took both of them. The lamp would be a good first hit, then the logs would have to do. 

There was an agonisingly long silence, then suddenly the illusion began to move and shattered into dust. Valera leapt into action, throwing the door open and taking whatever time she had to run before the guards were sent after her.

Armed with the lamp and a log, Valera ran as fast as she could. She had some memory of the layout of the castle from when she last was invited her and used that to her advantage, taking shortcuts as much as possible.

She was eventually met with some resistance by means of a troop of guards. Valera didn’t hesitate to attack, swinging the lamp right at the nearest guard. The lightbulb smashed, and she used the sharp glass to swing at the others. One guard went down, then another. Some of them brought others down with them when they fell.

The lamp was useless now, so she resorted to the log. It hit a lot harder, but was also tougher to swing. She put all the strength she had behind it and swung, smashing one of the guards in the chin with it. He fell back, taking the one behind him down to the floor as well. Valera took the chance to run past.

Now the guards were really getting on her tail, and she could hear Karne barking orders from across the castle. He appeared from his office, staff wielded, uttering something to himself.

“I’ll kill them myself then,” He snarled, running down the hallway through the other side to catch Valera where she didn’t expect him. As expected, she did almost run into him, and Karne gladly tried to blast her with his staff. She made a sudden turn and sidestepped the guards, dashing past them while the blast from Karne’s staff his his own guards. Falling over one another, the group of guards blocked Karne off while Valera escaped from the other side.

“Damnit you all,” Karne snarled, but he wasn’t giving up that easy. He just turned around and went the other way, chasing Valera all the way to the courtyard and to the outpost towers along the walls. 

Valera had gotten up onto the walls, but she was at the North tower and had to get to the other side. Karne however, was on the other side. Guards were pouring in onto the walls, and if she didn’t act soon they would have her cornered. Ying and Lazaros were nowhere to be seen, so Valera assumed they had either gone over the walls or were dead. 

She assumed the second, but hoped the first. Still, they weren’t the problem now, but the hundred guards charging towards her were. The log didn’t last long enough against the guards, so once it was done she had to go to hand-to-hand combat. 

The guards just kept coming. A few she had to throw off the walls, but it just wasn’t enough. She was now backed up against the edge of the wall, and now there was nowhere to do but go down.

She swung herself over the wall, hoping that there was anything to grab onto. She managed to find her grip against some of the cobble bricks. That didn’t stop bullets from raining down, and she had to move quickly though scaling a wall wasn’t her strong suit. Nothing else mattered besides not falling down, and she barely noticed the attempts the guards were having at shooting her. Karne was also shouting, but she was too focused on keeping her grip.

She glanced down every so often, delighted to find the river below, and Ying and Lazaros on the bank of the river. Once she was certain that she would fall into the river, she grit her teeth and let go, praying that she’d hit the water.

The icy water hit her face first and it admittedly hurt, but she just scrambled to get out of the river.

“Come on!” Lazaros called, grabbing Valera and pulling her out of the river. They were all soaking wet, but without second thought they ran off into forest at the bank. Valera could hear Karne shouting behind them, but they just ran as fast as possible.

They kept going until they were certain they weren’t being followed. Lazaros doubled over, heaving, water still dripping from his hair onto his face and onto the forest floor. Everyone was exhausted, dragged down by the water in their clothes and hair.

“That was absolutely hell,” Lazaros panted, leaning against a tree. He sank down to the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest, elbow on his knees, and head down. Oh, how he wanted to just sleep for days.

Valera was wringing water out of her hair. “Let’s not do that again. If Karne catches us, I think he’s going to just kill us. Anyone know where we are?”

“Stone Keep,” Lazaros mentioned. “It’s the West of the Realm, but I don’t know where exactly.”

“Is there a map somewhere?” Ying interjected.

Lazaros huffed. “Yeah, in the Archives, but the Archives are back inside Stone Keep’s walls and I sure as hell am not going back.”

“Anywhere else?” Ying asked.

“Not that I know of,” Lazaros admitted, “but I know how to get to House Aico. I think I can find my bearings from there on out.” He noticed part of his sleeve torn and he sighed.

Valera was done squeezing water out of her hair, flicking droplets onto the grass. “Alright, let’s go there then. From there we can head back to the Empire and see if we can find the rest.

 

“They’re not there.”

Tyra crossed her arms. “What do you mean, they’re not there?”

“I mean, they’re not inside the compound. But we found some things.” Sha Lin and Inara had snuck into Stone Keep the night their friends left, but they had no idea where their friends were. Sha Lin dumped whatever evidence he found onto the grass of the campsite they had made in the forest by the river. 

There were mostly bullet casings and a scrap of fabric that had been fished out from the river.

“This doesn’t tell us much,” Tyra snorted.

“Sure, but it’s a sign that a fight happened. There’s blood stains up on the wall, but no bodies. They’ve likely been cleared. My guess is that Valera and the rest managed to escape, and this belongs to Lazaros.” Sha Lin picked up the scrap of white fabric, which looked grey when soaked with water. “There’s no blood on it though. It would have stained the fabric.”

Barik and Terminus sat further into the trees. They could afford a small fire, which Barik was sitting close to and examining a few of the bullet cases in the dim light while Terminus watched with curiousity. Occasionally Barik would mutter something to himself.

Tyra looked up at Inara made her way through the trees again. “There isn’t any other clues, sadly. But they definitely came down from the wall. This way, actually since the river only runs under this wall. I’m thinking when daylight comes, we could track the forest to see if they left any trail.”

Tyra nodded. “That makes sense, yeah.” There was still the pit of worry gnawing away at her, and it was driving her mad. With every passing minute that she didn’t know if her friends were okay, she was assuming more and more of the worst.


	14. Town of Seris

With the help of a few kind people along the way, Valera, Ying, and Lazaros made it to House Aico in three days. They had previously been trapped in Stone Keep at the will of Grand Magister Karne, but made managed to escape. They hadn’t seen their friends in awhile, and didn’t know what happened to them. It would have been so easy to just go back if they knew how to.

They didn’t actually go up to House Aico, but just went near it so that Lazaros could find his bearings. House Aico looked rather peaceful, but they would have quickly changed their mind if they knew that the window, they were being watched.

The group passed House Aico anyway. 

“So, where exactly do you want to go?” Lazaros asked.

“What are we near to?” Valera asked in return.

“There’s a town. I’ve seen it over the hill but I never went to it. It might be abandoned though, I never saw any signs of life in it. No lights, no people, nothing.” In truth, it was a little scary to Lazaros. A simple town, devoid of all life. He never tried to approach it.

Valera nodded. “There might be supplies though, which we’ll need if we’re going to continue. How’s it sound to you Ying?”

The spellcaster never feared places devoid of life. “I think it’s worth checking. Valera is right, there could be supplies.”

Lazaros nodded reluctantly. He would rather pass it and try look for another village, but there was truth to their words. They needed supplies, weapons, and ideally horses as well. Still, he wasn’t comfortable with it, but there was no other choice.

As they got close, Lazaros really started to lag behind. Valera and Ying didn’t notice until they were close enough. Lazaros was far behind.

“Hey!” Valera called out, “Aren’t you coming?”

Lazaros rubbed his arm. “Uh, you should check for enemies or… something first.”

Valera frowned, but Ying went back to him. “He’s right, there could be someone waiting to ambush us. I can stay here with him while you check,” Ying responded.

The elf rolled her eyes. “Okay, but I don’t have any weapons so if I get ambushed I’ll probably die anyway,” She muttered to herself. Clearly Lazaros wasn’t going to budge so she figured Ying would be able to help him. She first wandered up to a sign.

The sign was a little charred and very dusty, and hanging on both sides of the sign were the Magistrate’s banners. Valera scowled at the symbols, but wiped away the dust with her hand.

SERIS.

That was the town’s name? From where she stood on the top of the hill, she now understood what Lazaros meant when he said it was abandoned. Half the down had been blown apart, leaving only half of a church standing, and a few houses. There was a massive crater on the east of the town, and now that she saw it, there really was an eerie vibe about it. She gestured for Ying and Lazaros to follow, and descended the hill into the town.

Seris was completely devoid of life, and as much as they should have been looking for supplies, the crater was a curious thing for Valera. “You two can go look for supplies. I want to take a look at what happened.” Ying nodded, escorting an obviously terrified Lazaros away while Valera went towards the crater.

Most of the town had been destroyed, blasted off by whatever happened here. Immediately around the crater there was nothing but a huge, black char in the ground. Other buildings had completely collapsed, others half-broken. Wooden shards and broken stone lay strewn all over the ground. But Valera noticed something in the chaos.

There were no bodies.

Whatever happened here left no bodies, no evidence of the people who lived here, but in the ruins of a few houses there were personal belongings. Clothes, shoes, houseware, books, toys, sacks of grain. Clearly people had lived here, but there were no bodies at all. How could everyone have gone missing, yet there was clear evidence that people were here? She couldn’t put two and two together. 

Wandering from the crater, she headed towards the church. Outside of it there was a statue of a person, though chunks of it had been blasted off. There was a stone plaque on it however, and she went to read what it said.

THE ETERNAL PYRE  
The cleansing flames from which we are reborn

Valera frowned. It made no sense, so she dismissed it and went to see if she could find out more of what had happened to Seris. She disappeared into the church, curious to know if it harboured any knowledge of what had happened. Ying and Lazaros were scouring the chests and drawers for anything they could find.

“Find anything?” Valera asked, making Lazaros jump.

Lazaros scratched the back of his head. “Not yet so far. What did you find out there?”

“People used to live here, but there’s no bodies anywhere. Not even in the somewhat-intact houses. The Magistrate had some involvement though, so I don’t doubt that maybe he took everyone that survived the blast.”

She kept wandering while her friends searched for supplies, heading up the stairs. At the top of the stairs she found what she assumed this “Eternal Pyre” thing was about. There was a statue of a winged woman and a pedestal which was empty. Something used to be there, and was taken. Still, it didn’t say what or give any other clue to what happened. The statue however, hadn’t been touched one bit by the explosion.

There was nothing she could deduce from it, so she went back downstairs to her friends. Only Lazaros was there, for Ying had to go deeper into the town to look for more supplies. He wasn’t going any further. “There’s some statue thing upstairs. I don’t know what it’s for though, but I think it’s got something to do with what happened here,” Valera announced.

“Whatever it is, I don’t like it,” Lazaros muttered.

“I don’t either, Lazaros, but I’m pretty sure the Magistrate had some involvement. We can’t really do much about it now but I’ll bring it up to the rest when we find them. You stay here, I’m going to find us some horses.”

Valera left the church and left Lazaros to himself. She ventured the town to find as much supplies as she could, and at some point caught up with Ying. Together, they found enough preserved food and while they didn’t find a horse, they did find a saddled griffin picking around for food. It seemed pretty tame, and was a far better catch than a horse. 

Lazaros was surprised when they returned with a griffin. “Does it belong to anyone?” He asked. The griffin had a collar, but it only had what they assumed was the griffin’s name. “…Arturos?” He read out, seeing the griffin’s attention go alert at the name. “I guess that’s your name, huh?” Lazaros asked, rubbing the griffin’s beak gently.

“You know how to handle griffins?” Valera asked. He was getting along well with the griffin. 

“I’ve met a few in my childhood. I tried hunting them but they were always too fast and I realised, they’re no good hunted.” Lazaros let the griffin sniff him, coming to recognise his smell just in case. “She’s saddled though, so she belongs to someone. We should return her.”

Valera had no intention of not returning the griffin. “Do you see anyone living here though? I don’t think her owner is nearby and we have to leave too. We can take her to the Empire and see if anyone there has lost her. Word spreads pretty fast too, so if her owner is there they can get her back fast.”

Lazaros nodded. It made sense. He didn’t think her owner would be around here since there was no one at all. So he, Ying, and Valera got onto Arturos the griffin, and slowly, Lazaros let Arturos take off. With directions from Valera, they’d get back to the Empire and see if they could find their friends, and Arturos’s owner.

 

It had been almost two weeks since they had been split up. No one knew where Valera, Ying or Lazaros were, or what had happened. They were tired. They were grumpy. Sha Lin’s seemingly endless patience finally snapped at at some point he walked off for an hour or so to recharge on his own. 

They were checking the last place they knew to look. Sun Spire - a lovely town that had taken a few hits too many from the Magistrate and had to rebuild. Tyra was still determined to find them. She had a feeling that they weren’t dead. But the rest didn’t seem to care that much anymore. 

The second they got to Sun Spire, Barik and Sha Lin crashed at the inn, and Inara and Terminus wandered off somewhere. Tyra was tired, but she wanted to ask around if anyone had seen her friends.

The majority of the answers were no. One guy working on rebuilding outside near the fountain said yes, but saw only Valera months ago. Tyra figured it was the time Valera saw her and followed her.

But there was one man who did know. Tyra recognised him as the man Sha Lin tensed up at way back at dinner with the Empire’s king, King Karos. He noticed her. She noticed him. She did her best to walk past, expecting him to follow, but he didn’t. 

All he said was, “I know where they are.”

Tyra stopped in her tracks, only looking to the side where she could see him. “What do you want?” She asked. No one ever offered information like this without wanting something.

The man smiled, wicked and terrifying. “Nothing material. I don’t want money. I want to just talk with the archer you have with your group.”

“Why?” Tyra demanded. She remember Sha Lin tensing up when he saw this man, whoever he was.

The wicked smile disappeared. “Do you want to find your friends or not?”

Tyra sighed. She was at the end of it and this man was the last chance she had. “Fine. I’ll tell him.”

He snorted. “Bring me to him now,” He ordered.

Tyra had no energy to argue. She just beckoned for him to follow to the inn. Sha Lin was obviously unhappy with what was happening, but left with Zhin to talk anyway. Tyra just sat on the bed while she waited, though she almost fell asleep. Sha Lin came back in with Zhin, looking annoyed as ever, and Tyra decided to just leave and get what she wanted before she could get yelled at. “Don’t look for me again, Zhin. I have nothing that you want,” Sha Lin called out between the door.

Zhin just dumped a paper in her hands. “It has all the information on where your friends are and a little more.” Tyra looked down, unrolling the parchment and scanning it. When she looked up again, Zhin was gone. She was amazed at how fast he had disappeared. In her hands the parchment read:

To Grand Magister Karne,

I found the Resistance. They passed House Aico two days ago at 1500 hours towards the Southeast. My spy found that they stopped at the nearby town of Seris that you had involvement with in the past. Nothing of importance was noted but it’s suspected that they found the Eternal Pyre. They left around 1647 hours on a griffin. Not sure where the griffin came from, but I suspect that it was stray since no one else has been in the area since the Abyss cleared it.

The Resistance was last seen flying South to the Empire. Let me know what you will have House Aico do.

Signed,  
Lian  
Scion of House Aico.

The Empire. Of course! Why did they not think to check the biggest sanctuary the Realm had to offer! She wanted to go there now, but now that she knew that her friends were still alive, a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulder and tiredness set in. She was exhausted, and the rest of the team likely were too. 

She could spare a night. If the letter was right, then her friends were likely safe already and there was no rush. So she went downstairs, rented another room, and crashed for the night.

With only one stop to restock on supplies, Valera, Lazaros, and Ying made it back to the Empire exhausted. As much as she wanted to just sleep in a proper bed, Valera told Lazaros and Ying to rent a room at the inn first and go to bed while she handled some business.

The first thing she did was to house the griffin so that she wouldn’t run off. The royal stable was empty, so the maids took Arturos there. Arturos cawed back at Valera, anxious at getting separated from her new owner again, but Valera gently rubbed her beak like she saw Lazaros too. Arturos calmed down, and went with the maids.

Valera requested to see King Karos, and his appearance shocked her when he appeared in the dining hall. She recalled he said he was dying the last time they spoke and that was expected of anyone but he was frail and paler than ever. The thick, fluffy robes he wore did nothing but accentuate how sunken and deathly he looked.

“What is it, Valera? Have you found someone to replace me?” King Karos asked. 

Valera looked away for a moment. “Not yet, your majesty,” She admitted. While she didn’t fancy addressing anyone so formerly, she took pity on him. A frail, old King with no heir, his title as King slipping away further with every passing day. The least she could do was to emphasise that he was still King even in his last few weeks.

The King looked away. “I didn’t think so,” He sighed, “but what are you here for? If not regarding an heir, then it must be something else of importance.”

“Do you happen to know of anyone who owns a griffin here?” Valera asked.

Karos thought about it, but shook his head eventually. “The Empire hasn’t seen a griffin in a long time. Why?”

“My friends and I found a stray one. We wanted to return it.”

Karos snorted. “Rare for you to find a stray griffin, or one at all. I can have my guards ask around if anyone’s lost one. But really, why are you here? You didn’t come here looking as tired as I to ask about a griffin.” He chuckled at the comment, but it had little humour to it.

It was true, Valera had more to ask for than over a griffin. “I’m forming a growing Resistance. I wanted to ask if you would allow us to set up base in the Empire. And we found this master mechanic dwarf guy who wants to weaponise crystal magic. I was wondering if you would give us the crystals to do it.”

King Karos scratched his chin. “I don’t have a lot of crystals, not last I checked. But you can talk to the royal treasurer about it and give him my seal.” He took her hand and dropped something it in. It was a golden block with the King’s emblem on it.

“And not here in the city,” Karos continued, "If an attack happens, you’d be endangering everyone who lives here. There is however, a garrison that’s only an hour’s ride from here. Small town, under my rule. You can occupy the area for any planning and rallying. There aren’t a lot of people living there but if you need to move them, they can stay in the city limits. That way, you are free to do whatever you need without directly endangering the lives of the city people but you’re close enough in case you need to come bac-“ It ended in a violent coughing fit, which automatically summoned two maids by his side. 

Valera nodded. “Thank you, your majesty. I shouldn’t bother you anymore.” Karos waved her off, and they went their separate ways. Karos, back to his private quarters, and Valera to the inn.

Lazaros and Ying had bought two rooms. Lazaros on his own, and Ying and Valera shared one. Both of them were dead asleep, and she too crawled out of her armour and into bed. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but anything was better than sleeping on a griffin’s saddle for one more night. She was out the second her head hit the pillow.


	15. A Brutal War

On the fifth day of King Karos’s death, Sha Lin returned to the city of the Empire, invited by the chief advisor for the private burial. Present were some of the King’s most trusted aides, mostly high ranking officials from allied kingdoms. It was uneventful, just a lot of silence, occasional speeches, and watching the gilded coffin slowly get moved into the royal vault. 

After the burial, Sha Lin left the palace and removed the black coat over his shoulders. Sera suddenly swooped in, all wings extended in a rush. Arturos was flying with her. She landed by the archer. “Magistrate forces are coming,” She panted. “Get back to the town. I’ll mobilise the army!” 

“How many?” Sha Lin asked, climbing onto Arturos who was also fidgety, sensing the tension

“All of them!"

No one expected the Magistrate to be so quick, so suspicions arose that someone had tipped it off to Grand Magister Karne that the Empire was weakened without a king. Without a second’s hesitation, Sha Lin rode back while Sera rushed to the palace to alert the chief advisor and mobilise the army.

At full speed, Arturos was back at the town in a solid ten minutes. The town was in a flurry, rushing to set up defences. Barik was setting up turrets everywhere, Valera armouring up. Sha Lin leapt off Arturos, Lazaros quickly taking over her reins to calm her down and make sure she didn’t panic and fly off. The archer ran ahead to Valera.

“How long do we have?” Sha Lin demanded.

“Ten minutes, give or take. I hope you have enough arrows,” Valera spoke hurriedly. She had also summoned everyone she could. Anyone who dared to fight was urged to join for their freedom, for their lives. Hundreds of commoners with a resolve tougher than steel had joined the fight. Valera had given them a quick pep talk. She made sure to let them know they didn’t have to fight, but men and women alike, armed with axes, swords, clubs, and guns, were all ready to fight for their safety and their lives.

Tyra ran up to Lazaros. “How are you with two guns?” She asked.

“Good enough to kill,” Lazaros replied. Tyra tossed him another gun to accompany his SMG. It would be tricky to fly on Arturos without holding the reins, but this way he could rain bullets down while staying safe up in the air. 

As everyone was prepared, there was a sickening silence as they waited for the Magistrate to arrive. Synchronised footsteps began to get louder and louder, and slowly those footsteps went out of sync as the foot soldiers of the Magistrate charged into the town.

Everything went to hell at that moment. Explosions went off, bullets firing, soldiers and commoners dropping like flies all over. Inara and Terminus went head on, Terminus not hesitating at the bullets of simple soldiers. Many of them screamed in terror and ran off at the sight of a giant boulder charging towards them at full speed with an axe heavier than ten of them combined. Those who failed to get out of the way were smashed and tossed aside by the horrific massacre axe like as if Terminus were just simply sweeping dead leaves aside.

Lazaros urged Arturos to take flight, the griffin kicking into action. Before she left the ground, she grabbed one of the Magistrate’s horsemen off his horse in her massive beak. She shook him violently before tossing him back to the ground. Lazaros began to fire whenever Arturos was steady, though she would occasionally dive bomb the fray to pick someone up in her claws and either pierce her prey with her claws, or drop them from a terrifying height.

The foot soldiers and calvary were easy to take down. The common villagers swarmed their targets like angered wasps, kicking, shooting, hitting, punching, and slicing up their targets. The enemy was never a match against twenty angry farmhands. Once one enemy was dead, they’d swarm the next one. Even some of the biggest brawlers were no match for the endless mob of people who were merciless and made up for their lack of individual strength by fighting like a pack of wolves.

The real problem began when two very large people showed up. One of them was a walking giant set of armour, and the other a red-haired woman clad in armour with a massive cannon. Terminus, in his blind fury ran for them, and Inara saw what was to come. In her haste to save the other stagalla, she tried to raise a stone wall but was tripped up by the mob of farmers squeezing by to pounce their next target. Above her, Lazaros was taking aim at the red-haired woman, but the sudden misplaced rock wall had his bullets pinging off it harmlessly. 

There was a crack, then stone bits flew everywhere. The one fearsome hulking monster of a warrior was thrown back, and when he landed half his body had shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. The light from his eyes began to die.

Lazaros gasped, suddenly thrown off of Arturos when the griffin suddenly tried to stop to prevent herself from flying into a tree. She couldn’t stop flying fast enough, and went crashing through the tree as well. In her desperation to save her rider, she lunged her neck out and nipped Lazaros’s shirt, pulling him before he hit the ground.

Valera saw what had happened and was ready to call for a retreat, but Sera showed up with hundreds of the Empire’s soldiers. The Magistrate’s forces, seeing the hundreds charging over the hill, had no choice but to fall back what with their numbers having dropped hard. The walking suit of armour called for his men to fall back, but the Empire’s forces pursued them hard. 

Inara was on her knees, desperately trying to put Terminus back together. Valera took the one moment of air she had to run over. “Oh no no no no no!” She screeched in frustration. Inara looked up, a frown settling on her face. She would not let the Magistrate get away with this.

She got up, leading the charge with one order. All the surviving warriors got up and charged, chasing after the Magistrate’s forces. Arturos untangled herself from the tree, eager to get going, but Lazaros noticed one of her wings dropped low and dragging against the ground.

“Follow them!” Tyra ordered. Many men and women had fallen, but there was still a chance to cut them off and cut them down. The mob, though beaten, continued on, their resolve strengthened at Inara and Tyra’s urge. 

Lazaros got onto Arturos, leading her on foot to the fight. Arturos was itching to keep fighting, refusing to let a broken wing stop her. She charged in, vicious, Lazaros gunning down as many troops as he could while she tore them up beneath her claws.

Barik’s turrets had done a lot of work, and he was reinforcing the town now in case of a second attack. Ying stayed behind to heal the wounded and save as many lives as she could, urging Sha Lin to join the attack once she was sure Barik had the place secured. 

Tyra led a group circling the Magistrate’s, running through the forest on stolen horses to attack from the rear. The forest was absolute carnage, bodies falling left and right, screaming, shouting, shooting. The walking armour must have seen them splitting from the fight, for he summoned a group of fighting men and began to follow.

Tyra snarled in frustration. There was no way they were going to be able to attack from behind with ease anymore so she commanded the group deeper into the forest. If they couldn’t ambush the Magistrate’s forces, they could at least divide them to make fighting easier on the others. 

“Split up,” Tyra ordered, “lure them as deep as you can, then circle on them.” She pulled her horse to the sharp right, hearing hooves thunder after her as the hunting group took the bait and split too, following her in eager. To them, she was now weakened without anyone else to back her up, but they didn’t realise that she now had shaken off some of her burden. 

She pushed her horse to the limits, galloping through the forest at lightning speed. The problem would be getting back, but she could worry about it later. With one hand on the reins she reloaded her gun with her free hand, firing behind her. She heard hooves go out of coordination as her pursuer’s horse panicked, throwing the rider off. A scream of pain resonated as the frightened horse stepped on his rider before running off into the forest. 

Tyra saw the crippled man as a chance. She slowed her horse down and spun around, going back to where the man lay, ribs broken from where the frightened horse had stepped on him. He tried to get up, but Tyra forced him to lay still with her gun pointed at him.

“How did you know we were here?” Tyra demanded.

The soldier spat blood onto the ground, chest heaving. He stared at Tyra in silent defiance. She fired her gun at his leg, making sure he had no chance of running away now. “Answer me. Or the next thing I shoot will be your face.”

He coughed up blood. “I don’t know, I’m just a soldier. I don’t know anything that goes on with the higher-ups. I just follow orders.” His voice rattled with every breath. “Heard the Commander say some stuff about some some guy who sold the info.”

“What Commander?” Tyra asked.

“Big guy in the armour. Commander Khan.”

“Khan…” Tyra mumbled to herself. She didn’t remember the name, and she was sure that no one could become a commander so quickly if he joined after she left. “Is he under the Magistrate?”

The soldier shook his head. “I don’t bloody know. Why would I tell you where they came from anyway?”

Tyra squat down next to the soldier. “You won’t, because you don’t know. Now, do you want me to make your death quick or should I leave you to die slowly?”

The soldier knew either way, he would not make it out of the forest alive. He sighed. “Whatever. I’m powerless anyway.”

Tyra got back on her horse and began to ride away. Before she could get out of sight, she turned around and shot him twice without any word. He was going to die anyway, she told herself, and she didn’t want anyone tipping her off.

 

With renewed strength the Resistance chased the Magistrate’s forces even further back until they were forced to make a full retreat, but in doing so the Resistance lost more and more people. Inara kept going on with a hundred of the Empire’s troops for a little longer to make sure the Magistrate had been truly run out, while the rest trudged back, exhausted and covered in blood, to the town.

Ying had managed to save about a hundred people with her healing illusions and tended to Arturos now, assessing the damage to her wing. Valera sat down on the rampaged ground, letting the exhaustion of a hard fight leak into her muscles. The rest of the Empire’s army came back to tend to the town, clear up the bodies, and help the Resistance where they needed it.

Everyone had a few cuts and bruises, and then there was the issue of their fallen friend Terminus, who lay shattered on the ground. Inara knelt by him again. Sera landed besides Inara, patting her shoulder and offering her condolences. 

Lazaros sat down next to Arturos, leaning against her soft, feathered body. She rested her head next to him, protectively extending her intact wing to shield him in case anyone who wanted to harm him appeared.

Looking at the battlefield now, Lazaros realised that they had suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of men and women, dead. It was awful. He watched as Valera got to her feet, summoning the Resistance to the strategy room. He tried to get up, but Arturos blocked him with her wing, not wanting him to go. He promised her he’d be back, and crept out from under her wing.

On his way to the tower, Valera stopped him. “Have you seen Tyra?” She asked.

He shook his head. “I think she was chasing off the Magistrate.”

“Go find her. Take Arturos or something. I’m just going to go give people an inspirational speech or something.” She dismissed Lazaros with a wave of her hand, and he turned back to Arturos who’s wing had been easily fixed by Ying.

“Hi,” Lazaros greeted, rubbing the griffin’s beak. “Ready to go on an adventure?” He asked, swinging himself up onto the saddle. Arturos gave him a delighted chirp in reply. “Let’s go then."


	16. Mirror Of History

The Resistance was slowly getting back on its feet after the brutal fight that had torn them apart, but progress was slow, to say the least. Valera had sent for supplies from the Empire and a few medics to help the small town get back to its usual self.

  
At the urge of the chief advisor to the late king, Sera agreed to act as Queen though she refused the official title or any ceremonies, reminding the advisor that she was only acting Queen until a proper, not-an-elderly-woman heir was found to rightfully rule the kingdom. But just someone in that empty throne for now was good enough to remind the rest of the Realm that the Empire was not weakened in any form.

  
But then there was the problem of many people having died, including some Resistance members. Inara was torn up by the death of Terminus, and his body had mysteriously disappeared into the night with no trail or trace.

  
There was a huge weight on Valera’s shoulders with everything going on. Sera had been back in the city handling a few matters of royalty and making sure that the record was set straight that it was only a temporary position she was filling.

  
Then there was the issue of Tyra gone missing and Lazaros sent to find her, which she hoped was going well. There was also apparently some ridiculous rumour going around the city that the Resistance’s sole purpose was to destroy the Empire from the inside out, though Sera had done a pretty good job in quelling those fears.

  
She now stood in the tower’s strategy room, staring at maps, scraps of letters, and anything else she had pinned on the wall. Really, she wasn’t looking at them but she wanted a distraction. There was a need for more members. Real members. Not that farmers and soldiers weren’t real members, but she needed more. Ones with special skills that would aide them.

  
An idea struck. She ran downstairs to find the legendary archer Sha Lin clinging to the side of a wall several metres off the ground, painting over a crack in the stone wall with cement.

  
“Hey, what are you doing?” Valera called up.

  
He peered over his shoulder. “Oh hi! Just fixing a wall since no one else wanted to climb up here and we don’t have a tall enough ladder.”

  
“Are you almost done? I have something else for you to do. Something that uh, doesn’t involve climbing walls. I hope that’s not a deal breaker,” Valera mentioned.

  
“Yeah I’m almost done. What do you need?” The archer asked. He finished patching up the crack, leaving the cement to dry. He jumped down, landing on the ground gracefully.

 

“How fast do you ride on horseback?”

* * *

  
With Arturos’s excellent sense of smell, she and Lazaros tracked down Tyra with fair ease. Well, they should have, but Arturos got distracted and excited a little too easy and delayed them a day when the griffin decided to stop at a river to splash around a bit.

  
The trail was lost a few times, and Lazaros fell in the river once when Arturos accidentally smacked him into it with her wing, much to his annoyance. He was sure to stay very far up the bank after that.

  
They were riding above the forest now, Lazaros trying to keep Arturos focused while they flew.

  
Every time Arturos tried to look away, Lazaros had to lean forward and nudge her head back so that she was always looking where he wanted her to go, and didn’t decide to check something unnecessary out again.

  
But Arturos did get back on track, and eventually picked up Tyra’s scent once more. She landed in a small clearing as the sun was beginning to set, and tried to pick up exactly where the smell had went. It was faded however, meaning that Tyra had passed through here hours ago.

  
Lazaros looked up at the sky, deciding to camp out for the night. With Arturos he had a few supplies - he had a sleeping bag, a bag of food, several bottles of water, and a folding bucket for Arturos to drink water from.

  
The first thing he did was unsaddle the griffin, who began to roll in the grass. Lazaros decided they could afford a fire for the night and went off to find firewood for it.

  
He went down to the river, staying further up the bank. The bank of the river wouldn’t have any wood, he reasoned, and if it did it’d be soaked and no good for firewood.

  
His search for firewood however, came to a pause as chatter floated over the river. Instinctively, Lazaros ducked into cover behind a set of trees, shifting and wriggling around to find a good spot to see who was talking.

  
He waited for ten minutes before a cart pulled by a mule began to roll by, driven by a pair of rich merchants going from one place to another to sell their wares, probably. They chatted about things that didn’t mean anything to him, and they rolled on and kept going without noticing Lazaros.

  
He sighed, shaking his head as he pulled himself from his cover and went back to his task at hand. Nowadays as a probably-wanted man, one could never be too cautious around anyone else.

  
Lazaros returned to the campsite where he saw that Arturos had made a patch in the grass from all her rolling and rubbing. “Having fun?” He asked as he arranged the brittle firewood, receiving a squawk from Arturos in reply. “Thought so,” He chuckled.

  
The young messenger ate cold meat and stale bread, refilling water from the river. He hunted with Arturos before the sun went down so that the griffin had enough meat to eat, and promptly fell asleep leaning against a tree once the sun was gone below the horizon. His peaceful sleep however, did not last long.

  
Some time around the wee hours of the morning Lazaros was woken up to frantic screeching and hushed orders. He scrambled to his feet, sleep-glazed vision seeing a blurry blob writhing and wriggling. His vision cleared, revealing Arturos trapped under a net. Six guys pulled the net, dragging her towards a truck with a cage.

  
Lazaros recognised two of them as the merchants that passed the other side of the river. They had probably seen Arturos flying ahead earlier and were taking her to be sold!

  
Furious, Lazaros pulled out his submachine gun and opened fire in the dark, lighting up the forest clearing sporadically. Arturos screeched and snapped at her captors to little avail, thrashing around in a failed attempt to get free.

  
His bullets hit one, two of the men, but were hardly enough to stop them from heaving Arturos into the cage in the back of the truck, still trapped in the net, and preparing to drive off.

  
He was going to make chase. Run after that truck no matter how long it took for him to do that, just to free his friend.

  
Too bad the butt of a rifle connecting with the back of his head made it impossible to do so, and when he woke up the next morning with a headache and a lot of anger, the truck was long gone.

 

* * *

  
He had travelled hundreds of miles, going from town to town, city to city with a bag full of posters rallying for the strong, the determined, and the strange. Wizards, sorcerers, anyone that brought a unique set of abilities to the table was welcome.

  
And in such short time, and a little observation of people, Sha Lin had already found a new member - a vulpin alchemist by the name of Pip, whom he had found scavenging for ingredients for his next potion out in the desert just outside of the Empire’s walls.

  
Pip agreed to stand up to the Magistrate, who had rampaged his hometown of Brightmarsh a year and a half ago, driving out all life in the area. But the Resistance would need more than one additional member, so Pip returned to the town the Resistance had made a base to meet with Valera, while Sha Lin went out to find more members.

  
He was skilful in his speech and his observation of the right people, but special characters didn’t pop up so often and there were lulls in between the times that he did find them. After Pip joined them, no one had showed up for almost a week.

  
No one showing up included Lazaros and Tyra, who had been gone for just as long.

  
And then there was rumour of a monk who sat on a cliff for weeks that turned into months just to find salvation among the stars. And there were rumours that he had indeed found it when a god of some sort came back to speak to him. He didn’t know if the rumours were true or not, but as concerned as he was with his friends disappearing for so long, he was sure they were okay and that his priority was in finding more members for the Resistance.

  
The monk was said to be found somewhere in a place called Ascension Peak, which was all the way up north of the Realm and would be a week’s round trip. But given the go-ahead by Valera, Sha Lin took off from the town and began to ride up to the port that would take him to the foot of the mountains which he’d walk up to get to Ascension Peak and hopefully find that the rumours were true and that he hadn’t wasted a week of his time.

* * *

  
Tired. Irritated. Alone.

  
Those were all the things Lazaros was after he came to some time in the afternoon when the sun was bright and burning. He remembered everything that happened, seeing blood and scuff marks on the ground where Arturos had put up a fight in vain.

  
Oh god, Arturos was gone. The merchants that had taken her were probably going to sell her to some rich buyer who would keep her locked up in a small yard for their entertainment to look at. The merchants had also thought to take his stuff, and he had nothing but his crystal dagger on him.

  
Seeing his predicament, Lazaros did the one thing a sensible person would have done.

  
He screamed at the sky for a bit, swearing loudly and hardly caring for anyone that heard him before trying to find his way to the nearest village or town.  
As he walked, he tried to clear his head and think the situation through. “There’s no way merchants would rob a guy,” He muttered to himself. “No no, they looked rich. They probably hired people...” He kept muttering to himself, eyes cast at the ground as he walked. He didn’t even realise he had walked into a tiny village until he nearly crashed into someone.

  
“Watch it!” A baker growled, barely having dodged the dazed stranger that had just wandered in. In the baker’s hands was a tray full of fresh bread, which was all Lazaros noticed, having not eaten anything since the scraps of meat and stale bread from last night. The baker sniffed, pushing past the scruffy, smaller man and muttering something beneath his breath.

  
Lazaros shook his head, trying to forget about it. Given how small the village was, there was no inn, so he sat by the fountain with his head in his palms, doing little to cover up the fact that he was stressed out. He didn’t look up when a little girl with bright orange hair walked up and sat by him, legs swinging off the ground. She was maybe fifteen, hardly out of school.

 

“Mister, are you okay?” The girl asked.

  
Lazaros didn’t respond at first, wanting to be left alone. But the girl persisted, this time nudging him to get his attention. He was ready to lash out and tell her to go away, but when he looked at her he was stunned. “Oh... god....”

  
She stared at him blankly, not understanding his reaction. “Are you okay mister?” She repeated, looking a little more concerned now.

  
“Wait- I’m sorry, do you have a brother? An older brother? It’s important, please,” Lazaros asked. There was such a shocking resemblance, and there was no way it was her. She was dead. That much he was certain of. It was impossible...

  
“Yes...?” She replied, not understanding.

  
Lazaros’s heart was slamming against his chest now, threatening to just leap out of his ribcage and take a walk. His hands were trembling now, not understanding how it could have been her. He took a deep, shaky breath to calm himself, closing his eyes for a moment. “What happened to your brother?” He asked.

  
“He... was taken by the Magistrate when they came years ago. He... he died there...” She softly replied, trying to force back the memories. But there was that one, vague memory, telling her something was familiar about this man.

  
Lazaros clenched his fists, understanding everything but not wanting to believe it. “What was his name?” That was the last question that would answer everything and confirm all that he suspected.

  
So very softly, almost inaudibly, she spoke.

  
“Lazaros.”

  
“Oh god, what did they do to you,” Lazaros muttered. It was true, all true. This woman before him was his sister, the sister that he begged for five years ago to let her and their parents go free in exchange for him. All these years they both though they were dead, which brought up something else. But now was not the time to ask. Not until she understood who he was. “Can I speak to you in private?” He asked.

  
She was so clearly unnerved, knowing that she knew something about him without knowing what. She nodded. “Yes, we’ll go to my house.” She quickly turned and led the way, lost in her own thought. Her house was shared by an elderly pair who rented a room to the girl. Her rent was cut down when she did the household work, and would be cut down even further when she was out of school and began work.

  
She sat down in the living room by a fireplace, tense, hands in her lap, fingers twitching. Lazaros sat down opposite her, trying to find the right way to tell her. Now that he knew this was his sister, he was only worried about not getting through to her. Not being able to break the magic.

  
“Okay uh, how do I do this,” He muttered, rubbing his palms together. He decided being straightforward was the best way to do it. “I’m Lazaros. Artem. Twenty years old and I know you’re fifteen because you’re my younger sister. We used to live in Sun Spire with our parents. I was a hunter and I used to go out with dad. Mom worked at the tannery and you were always home figuring out schoolwork.”

  
When she didn’t respond, he kept going, “You are Florence Artem. You’d ask me to help you out with your school work and I’d tell you to go ask mom and then you’d complain that I was being mean to you. And you said I died, right? That night when the Magistrate came I told you all to hide. I begged for your lives in exchange for mine. And you were what, ten years old at the time? You were young and you were scared and all you heard from the cellar was me exchanging my life for yours and the Magistrate used that to erase me from your memory and from that of mom and dad.”

  
The words were flowing now, and he said things he didn’t remember. But the power of hidden memory was tremendous, and everything that he knew and the things he thought he didn’t know came back to him now. “The Magistrate made you think I was dead to kill your hopes. You think that I’m lying? I spent five years working for that bastard, hearing all he said, hearing and seeing everything. And he made me think that you were dead too. I know mom and dad are dead because I saw them die but you, where were you? How did you get out?”

  
Florence was shaking, choking back tears as the magic crumbled away. And when it crumbled, or revealed that it wasn’t magic at all - she had thought he was dead all this time and held on to that idea to move on and stop thinking of him, knowing that the night she escaped, she was alone. And now the barrier melted away, revealing the pain and trauma of a difficult time.

  
And when she spoke, she could no longer hold back the river of tears as the protective barrier subduing painful memories was unlocked by a key she thought was gone a long time ago. “I was never taken, no. When he came after you were gone mom and dad made a scene so I could run and I ran and ran and I didn’t know where I was and I came here and tried to forget it but it hurt so bad because I missed mom and dad and you and...”

  
She choked on her words, face red and hot, but there was relief in finally opening the lock and letting everything out. Lazaros sat in complete silence as she babbled and blurted out everything, taking pauses to shakily draw in breath while crying it out even harder. She eventually trailed off, teeth gritted, nothing left to say but five years worth of tears to let out. And as he watched his only family left cry, he too felt a few hot tears run down his cheeks.

  
Florence eventually quietened down, unsteadily walking over to Lazaros to hug him tightly. “Please don’t go away again,” She begged, her voice rattled with tears. To that he said nothing, realising he had one more predicament now when he would have to return to Valera.

  
But that could wait, for right now he had to be with Florence, find Arturos, and find Tyra too.


	17. Watching and Waiting

The road to Ascension Peak was long - hell, the road to the port was long, and it would have been a lot shorter if Sha Lin hadn’t run right into some merchants and a truck with a griffin in the back.

“Oh hey,” Sha Lin greeted charmingly, riding his horse next to the merchants. “I notice that you’ve got a griffin back there. Where’d you get it? Surely two men like you wouldn’t have caught a wild one.”

The merchants scowled at the comment. “Beat it kid, it’s precious cargo for a client.”

“What client? Surely you can impart some knowledge, one traveller to another.” When he got no response, he decided to play a little game. “Well, I’ll raise the stakes for knowledge.” He reached back into his bag and produced a heavy crystal, larger than the size of his hand.

The merchants’s eyes glistened at the sight of the massive crystal. With them having been outlawed by the Magistrate, they were worth a fortune. One leaned over and tried to grab it from the archer’s hands, but he just nudged his horse away, keeping the crystal out of reach. “No no, tell me first.”

One of them rolled his eyes. “Stray griffin,” He grunted, reaching out for the crystal. Again Sha Lin’s horse danced further away, whinnying mockingly at the merchants for thinking they could so easily grab something from him.

“Really now?” Sha Lin asked, “and how did you catch a stray griffin? There has only been one person in the entire Realm that has caught a wild griffin, and he doesn’t look like either of you.”

“I said stray. Not wild,” One of the merchants snapped, in a tone that obviously said ‘stop talking or I kill you’. “Now give here that crystal, boy.”

Sha Lin laughed. “Alright,” He said, throwing the crystal with all his might. And for someone that had drawn hundred-pound draw weight longbows all his life with ease, it was a lot of force.

The giant crystal knocked one merchant out instantly, his head bleeding hard where the crystal had connected with his head. Or maybe it killed him, it wasn’t of concern to Sha Lin when Arturos was tied up in the back, pacifist or not.

The other merchant went into a panic, lashing the horses on the cart to go into a full gallop. Hindered by the cart with a massive griffin in the back though, the horses didn’t go that fast at all.

“Stealing a griffin and lashing a horse a bit too hard? That’s two strikes already.” He nudged his horse into a chase, releasing his hands off the reign to draw his longbow. 

Most people trying to stop a cart would shoot the horse. Without the horse the cart couldn’t go anywhere, but Sha Lin always thought that was cruel, so what else did he shoot? There was the option of the rider, as the horses would eventually stop without a rider to keep pushing them, but he wanted to keep him alive for questions.

So he shot the link keeping the horses to the cart. It would have seemed impossible to anyone else for one guy to shoot a link between horse and cart with such accuracy when both the cart and the shooter were at different speeds. But for Sha Lin, this was novice stuff.

He first fired one arrow where the merchant’s head would have been if he hadn’t chosen to miss to prove that he was serious before pushing his stallion to his maximum speed, overtaking the cart by a metre or so. At this range he didn’t need a full draw, but minding wind resistance he did so anyway, rapidly firing four arrows. All four hit their targets dead on and snapped the thin wood holding the horses to the wooden cart, and he let his horse leap to the side. 

The two horses pulling the cart immediately ran off to the side while the dislodged cart lagged behind, slowing instantly when it didn’t have anything dragging it along. From the cart however, popped out two thugs the merchants had hired to protect Arturos from being stolen.

They opened fire towards Sha Lin, but his stallion had many years of experience in dodging bullets and remained unpredictable to the shooters, but not to his rider who felt every twitch and saw every signal of a changed direction. With two arrows, he killed both the shooters while they hardly had time to fire a bullet.

Dismounting, he let his horse approach the other two who were grazing on the roadside while he went to unlock the cage in the back. Before the one conscious merchant could do anything, he fired an arrow back and pinned the chubby man to the ground by the palm.

Sha Lin hurried to the back, making sure Arturos was okay. “Are you okay buddy? Where’s Lazaros?” He asked rhetorically, not expecting the griffin to respond. He smashed the lock with an arrow, opening the cage. Arturos was fine for the most part, but was very angry with the merchant she identified as nothing but pathetic prey with nowhere to run.

She stalked up to him, hissing and screeching, though Sha Lin stood in between them when he still wanted to talk. “Alright, well that was fun. So let’s talk,” He said cheerfully, reclaiming his crystal. “Where did you get the griffin?”

The conscious merchant was still trying to pull the arrow out of his palm, but every little movement made the pain worse. “I’m not… I’m not telling you!” 

“Well, I could always shoot your other hand.”

“Alright! No need for that. Found it in the forest with some boy. Enchanted Forest, south of here.

“What did he look like and what did you do with him?”

“Red hair, kinda scruffy, typical common boy. We ain’t kill him or nothing, just knocked him unconscious and took his stuff,” The merchant admitted.

Sha Lin searched the cart, finding a few packs of supplies and a saddle bigger than a horse's. “Are these it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Well I’m taking them back, and the horses, and you can figure out how to get that arrow out of your hand.” Next to him Arturos pawed him. “No, Arturos, don’t gouge out his eyeballs. Thief meat isn’t any good. I’ll find you some real food, okay?” Arturos wasn’t happy at being denied her revenge, but stood over the merchant anyway, screeching terror at him before snorting and walking off.

Sha Lin fitted Arturos’s saddle back on, fixing on the light packs of stuff. He clicked his tongue, realising how little supplies Lazaros had. And if he was to travel off course to find his friend, he may as well restock on supplies.

And it was just as well he identified a nearby village with the help of the merchant, before taking all the things he and his unconscious partner had stolen to give them to other people who might put them to better use.

 

“So what do you do now?” Lazaros asked.

“Oh, I’m finishing school,” His sister replied.

“Well, what do you study?” He prompted.

“You know… the usual stuff we learn,” She responded.

Lazaros frowned, noticing the hesitation and vague answer. But he decided it was nothing, for they hadn’t seen each other in years and were almost strangers again. He was just glad to have her back.

He took the boiling copper kettle off the stove and made tea for him and his sister. He would have preferred coffee, but tea was all the house’s owners drank, so it was all they had in the cupboards. 

Florence gave Lazaros a quiet “thanks” after receiving hot cup of tea, sipping quietly from the couch. “And what do you do now?” She asked in return.

“I’ve met a few people. Warriors, guardians, protectors of a sort. We’ve teamed up to form a resistance against the Magistrate,” Lazaros explained. He suddenly paused. “Wait, the Magistrate hasn’t been here right?”

Florence shook her head. “No, the village isn’t on the map since it’s too small,” She mentioned. "Thank goodness, of course,” She hurriedly added.

“Yeah, they’ve rampaged the rest of the Realm hard. I guess you’re lucky that you managed to come here,” Lazaros mused.

“Yes, very lucky indeed. This resistance of yours, who else is in it?” Florence asked.

Lazaros thought it was a bit of an odd question to want to know who was in the Resistance. “Valera, Tyra, Sha Lin, Ying, Inara, Sera, myself, and Arturos. My griffin. Which you haven’t happened to have seen him, right? He was stolen earlier today.”

“No,” Florence replied. “This Sera woman, who is she?”

Lazaros caught on to the change in tone, going from the curious girl he knew and finding a stone-hearted woman. But there was more than her having just grown up in a cutthroat world. Still, he wasn’t sure. “She’s a seraph. Old woman.”

Florence rolled her eyes in a very uncharacteristic way. “Seraphs aren’t old.”

“And you would know because…?”

“We learned it in school,” She snapped, "Now, who are the rest again?”

This time, Lazaros kept silent. He observed his sister, not wanting to believe it, but it was clear that this wasn’t his sister. 

Florence suddenly got up, setting her cup of tea aside and drawing a handgun. Lazaros leapt behind the adjacent couch as she fired. Of course this wasn’t really Florence! He had been right all along, she had died in the Magistrate’s hands and this spy, whoever she was, was impersonating her to gain knowledge.

He pulled his crystal daggers from his belt, leaping to one side as the spy tried to round on the back of the couch. As she leaned forward to look behind the couch, he leapt forward, trying to wrestle the handgun out of her hands. 

She fought with all her might, pulling back while Lazaros tried to rip the gun from her hands. She let loose for a moment, tricking Lazaros into lightening up before she yanked the gun back and fired.

Pain was hot but temporary when adrenaline blocked it, and he struck upwards with his dagger, feeling the perfected blade ripping through tough flesh.

She screeched, inhumanely loud, and for a moment Lazaros though maybe this wasn’t a person at all. The window to their left crashed open as a flurry of feathers and arrows flew. There was a lot of sound and chaos, then nothing as the room settled.

Lazaros panted, pulling himself to his feet. Blood trickled down his leg, but he ignored it as he recognised Arturos and oddly enough, Sha Lin.

“I can’t remember how many times you’ve saved me,” Lazaros panted, “how did you find me though?" Behind them, Arturos had taken the liberty of feasting on the spy’s eyeballs.

The archer waved it off. “Don’t mention it. I found a couple of merchants with Arturos and decided to have a little chat with them. And then I took all the stuff they stole and went to give it to the villagers while I stocked up on supplies. Arturos must have smelled you because she started pulling me over.”

The griffin, now having finished her tasty snack, immediately went to Lazaros, trilling and purring, delighted to see her best friend again. He stroked her beak, happy to see her again too. 

“Is your leg okay? It’s bleeding,” Sha Lin pointed out. 

“Well, I mean I can walk, I just feel like dying when I do it.”

The archer reached into his bag of supplies, producing a first aid kit and helping to stop the bleeding. “We’ll go back and have Ying help with the bullet.”

Lazaros shook his head. “We need to find Tyra first. She’s still missing, and I haven’t got a clue where she could be.”

“Really? How long can you go with a bullet in your leg?”

“Long enough, I would say.”

Sha Lin shrugged. “Well, it’s your call. If you want to keep going then we’ll keep going. I was supposed to head up to the port to go find this guy on the mountains but he can wait a little.”

“Alright, but don’t walk if you don’t have to. I think Arturos will be delighted to let you ride her again,” The archer laughed. Arturos trilled in agreement, eager to be back with Lazaros.

 

For a few hours now Tyra felt like something had been following her, though every time she looked back there was nothing but trees and more trees and sometimes a rock. 

But the unsettling feeling didn’t go away, and her suspicions were confirmed as her horse acted strange too, ears pricked, body tense, eager to leave. There was a nervous energy about the area, though Tyra did her best to focus on the road ahead instead of the anxious surroundings.

A rustle in the trees alerted her horse, forcing a nervous whinny out of her. Tyra immediately swivelled in the direction of the sound, trying to pinpoint where it had come from, but there was nothing.

“There’s nothing there,” Tyra reassured, patting her horse’s head, though it did little to settle either of them. 

Subconsciously, she slowed down until neither of them were moving. Tyra studied her surroundings, the silence deafening as she waited for something to happen.

Nothing happened.

“See? What did I tell you, nothing’s there,” Tyra reassured her horse once more, before starting up again down the path of the forest. There was however, still a nagging unease within her. Rightfully so at that, for deeper into the trees where the shadows blended in, a Gorlock waited patiently for its prey to let its guard down.


	18. Athena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want you all to know, I have a full time job now. I will continue to write and try to update every week but I cannot guarantee a consistent update schedule anymore. Please bear with me and thank you for your support!

It took almost another day for Sha Lin, Lazaros and Arturos to catch up to Tyra, but it would have been a lot longer if the archer wasn’t around to help. Compared to maybe a week if Lazaros was alone and in charge, one day was a blessing.

They were deep into the Enchanted Forest when they found her camping out in a tree, watching every bush and shrub with a wariness that Lazaros didn’t catch on to.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lazaros called up.

Tyra snapped towards him, raising her finger to her lips and shushing him. He frowned. “Why?” He asked even louder.

She growled in frustration. “Shut up!” She hissed in a hushed voice. “There’s a Gorlock around. Get into a tree, or just off the ground.”

Lazaros had never met a Gorlock, or even really heard of one or understood the danger of one. They stayed deep in the forest and he never came this far, so he shrugged off her warning. “Whatever, I’m not scared of whatever thing you’re on about,” He muttered. Sha Lin however, was scaling a tree before he knew it.

“Seriously?” He asked both of them. “Come on, how scary can it be that you’re both in trees?”

Tyra scowled at him. Fine, if he was ignoring the warnings then so be it. She returned her attention to the surrounding trees, observing every rustle and movement.

An eerie silence settled upon them for a moment, then suddenly a roar louder, more terrifying than a bear’s, erupted from the trees. It echoes across the forest, sending birds flying in terror. By Lazaros’s side, Arturos nervously clawed at the ground.

Lazaros understood fear at its rawest form when the Gorlock charged out from the trees. It was twice the size of a bear with coarse, dusty fur thick enough to withstand the bite of a lion. Its eyes glistened with fury, teeth and jaws dripping with drool. Hell, its canines may as well have been an elephant’s tusks. 

Paralysed with fear, Arturos snapped the young man up and took flight. The Gorlock lunged out as Tyra and Sha Lin above in the trees began to fire down aggressively. 

It latched on to Arturos’s hindquarters, dragging her back to the ground. With no way to wriggle out, she tossed Lazaros up into the trees, who clung onto the bark for dear life.

Arturos clawed, scratched and bit the fearsome beast with all her might, dragging her talons across its flanks and face, biting and tearing out fur and hair in clumps.

From above, Tyra threw her fire bomb down, hearing it shatter and spill out gasoline which immediately caught fire. The Gorlock, surprised by the bomb, released Arturos who flew straight up into the trees.

The fire spread across the dead leaves and brittle branches below, and Tyra realised they had a bigger problem than a Gorlock as the flames greedily ate everything in its way. Despite the flames, the vile creature didn’t give up, charging at the tree Sha Lin was on and shaking it violently.

Nimble as he was, the archer didn’t give the Gorlock time to shake him out of the tree. He easily balanced on branches and leapt to the next one with hardly a sound, and the Gorlock was shaking a tree for nothing. A crossbow bolt soared past, slamming into the Gorlack’s thick hide. It snarled, pulled away from the tree by the invisible attacker. 

Despite having been tamed, Arturos had a killer instinct above all, and she dove down towards the Gorlock, nipping hard before soaring back up out of reach. It didn’t have anywhere to go, circled by the flames that were getting faster and stronger.

“We gotta go now!” Tyra shouted across the trees. The fire below was licking up everything it came across, burning fresh leaves to a crisp. Soon it would escalate into a full-on forest fire. The Gorlock could be left to burn, or so Tyra thought. There was a flash of a green robe fleeing on a horse and the Gorlock, fixated on nothing else, charged after it.

“We still have to kill it!” Sha Lin shouted back. When Arturos flew up to him, he leapt onto her saddle and pulled her towards Lazaros, who was panicking with the fire below eating away at the tree he was clinging on to. He dragged the younger man onto the saddle before picking Tyra up and letting Arturos keep chase.

They could see flashes of a red-haired woman being chased by the Gorlock through the trees, and from the sides there was someone else following. “Please don’t let that be another attacker,” Tyra muttered. “Outrun it on the flank side then get me closer to the ground. I’ll drop down and round on it,” She ordered Sha Lin, before smacking Lazaros in the back of the head. “And snap out of it and take the reins.”

Arturos pushed as fast as she could, soaring ahead of the Gorlock and the girl being chased. When they were low enough, Tyra reached out for a branch and swung off on it, rolling onto the ground. She pulled her gun out and fired on the charging Gorlock, which hardly noticed her for its full attention was taken by its target.

Sha Lin shoved the reins back into Lazaros’s hands. “Take it. I need to see if we have another attacker on us.” He shifted to the back, trying to keep an eye on whoever else was following.

Their follower opened fire and the archer flinched, but none of the bullets came his way. Whoever it was was also opening fire on the Gorlock, raining bullets from all sides. Deciding he could take his eye off him for a minute, he swung back around and joined the hellfire that was slamming into the Gorlock.

Hundreds of bullets were emptied into the Gorlock, including arrows and crossbow bolts. The rider being chased tried to swerve to a stop as she reached a destroyed village, her horse’s knees buckling under the sudden stop and tossing her into the mess. Tyra ran after her, emptying the rest of her clip into the slowed Gorlock for good measure. 

The Gorlock put all its remaining strength into trying to get its target, but had turned into a bleeding, powerless mess by the time it hit the village. It crumbled to the ground, grunting and growling, on the brink of death.

Arturos circled around the village to make sure there weren’t any hidden surprises before landing next to Tyra and Sha Lin, and the redhead girl. Lazaros sunk into the saddle, heart slamming into his ribcage. “Let’s… let’s not do that again…” He sighed.

Sha Lin shook his head. “Yeah, next time you should really listen when Tyra tells you to quiet,” He muttered. “There was someone following us earlier. No idea where he went.”

Tyra waved him off as she picked her way through the crumbled, rotting wood of the abandoned village. She approached, extending her hand and pulling the woman up when her hand was taken. 

“Thanks,” The redhead nodded. “Awful of me to think I could have taken the Gorlock by myself.”

Tyra smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s almost dead now.” The creature groaned when she mentioned it, and the redhead raised her crossbow, firing it through its skull. Tyra shrugged. “Well, now it’s dead.”

She was surprised to find a hand extended to her this time. “I’m Cassie.”

Tyra accepted the hand, shaking it. “Tyra.”

Cassie gestured to the rest. “Are these your friends?” She asked, eyeing the griffin.

“Yeah,” Tyra replied. “Not all of them though. Sha Lin, Lazaros and Arturos.”

“Wait wait wait, what did you say?” Cassie asked. “Arturos? Where did you get this griffin?” She walked up to Arturos and read her collar’s tag.

“We found her in an abandoned village. Not this one. It was a lot creepier,” Lazaros muttered, rubbing his arm at the mention of the town of Seris.

Cassie shook her head. “I… I think I know who she belongs to.” She touched her forehead to Arturos’s. “Athena,” She whispered. The griffin’s eyes lit up in response to the name, and Cassie rubbed her muzzle. “Did you miss me?” She cooed.

“Is she yours?” Tyra asked.

“She’s my dad’s. We reared her from when she was just an egg. Come on, we should leave in case of any more Gorlocks. Wasn’t there one more of you though?” She reached for Arturos’s reins, and Lazaros couldn’t help but feel a little pang, remembering that he had to return her now that they found her owner.

Tyra noticed Sha Lin was gone too, but he reappeared from thin air with who looked like a kid with a headdress, a pair of horns, and a remarkably long tail. “I found our follower,” Sha Lin mentioned, but the kid didn’t look like any harm.

Instead, he went right up to Tyra, eyes wide with awe. “Oh wow, you’re a Paladin! I heard of you guys!” His eyes were shining with glee at having met his idols. “I heard so much about you guys and what you all do!”

Tyra couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “You’re a Ska’Drin,” She remarked, noticing all his features. The Ska’Drin were a dwindling race hated by many people for being “otherworldly” and “alien-like”. Tyra never agreed with them.

He lit up even more. “Yeah! I’m Talus! But my friends call me Tal.” He enthusiastically shook everyone’s hand, and went into awe once more at the sight of a griffin.

“Aw that’s so cool!” He cried out, hardly able to keep still. “Can I touch it?” He gleefully asked, more than ecstatic when Cassie let him.

But still, they couldn’t stand around too long. “Come on,” Tyra instructed. “Let’s get out of here.”

 

Cassie brought her new friends to her home, but insisted that she stay outside. It was strange, but she seemed a little uncomfortable and forlorn here in a little abode in the Greenwood, but Sha Lin offered to stay outside with her and keep her company a little. Her only condition was to not mention that she was there.

Cassie’s home was a little different than most. The home itself was decorated with many trinkets in the form of coloured glass, paintings, souvenirs from all over the world, and next to the house there was an aviary.

They met Cassie’s mother first, who worked in the aviary to protect and raise endangered birds. The most marvellous of her aviary was a firebird, which they were told had a child which Cassie ran off with some day. Talus and Tyra stayed in the aviary to talk more, but Lazaros was sent to find Cassie’s father who tended the griffins to return Arturos.

He waited in the backyard, Arturos rolling around freely in the grass of her home. He wasn’t sure what to expect of Cassie’s father, but when he approached Lazaros knew it was him. 

Cassie’s father was a large man, built with power and muscle. Lazaros thought the man could easily snap him like a twig if anything, so he chose his words carefully.

“Come in, come in,” He invited, “no need to stand out there in the backyard unless you want to get rolled over by her.”

Lazaros stepped back into the house and was offered a cup of tea. He sat down across the larger man, unsure what to say. 

It was a good thing Cassie’s father spoke first. “Is my daughter around? Have you seen her?” He asked.

Yes. “No, sir.”

He sighed. “I didn’t think so. She up and disappeared one day and I haven’t heard from her since. But thank you for returning Athena to me. At least she’s back.”

“…Athena, sir?”

“My griffin,” He explained, “I see you’ve taken good care of her while she was out adventuring. Where did you find her?”

Lazaros felt his cheeks flush. “I thought her name was Arturos. Uh, we found her in an abandoned town scouring for food.”

The man’s grin couldn’t help but show. “Young lad, I am Arturos. Have you not heard of me?”

Lazaros shook his head.

“Bah, I thought putting my name there on her tag was a good idea. Figured most people know me and would recognise the name. Seems like I was wrong,” Arturos sighed. “That’s my griffin, Athena. Raised her from the day she was hatched. She became like my daughter when Cassie ran off.”

Lazaros wanted to speak but was cut off. “You see, I’ve only ever known two real griffin owners in my lifetime. Want to know who?”

The young messenger shook his head.

“Well there’s me, and then there’s you.”

“…I don’t understand, sir. I don’t own a griffin.”

Arturos chuckled. “Well, I think Athena disagrees with that.”

At that moment, the griffin poked her head through the door, eyeing Lazaros and squawking at him. The young man’s jaw dropped, turning from her to Arturos. “Really?” Was all he could manage.

The griffin’s former owner smiled and nodded. “Really. I know you’ve been doing some crazy stuff and she’s still as perfect as ever. She couldn’t ever be happy living here in a million lifetimes. But you deserve her. And she deserves you.”

He was happier than he had felt in a long, long time. He got up and approached the griffin, stroking her beak. “Athena,” He whispered, testing out her name. It was nice. It suited her. His best friend was a griffin.

Arturos pat him on the back, though with his muscles it felt like a five pound sack of rice being thrown on top of him. “Well, you and Athena best be going. Your friends are waiting outside.”

The rest of the group was delighted to hear that Lazaros was now Athena’s rightful owner, and Cassie felt a little warm knowing that part of her home was here now. Her parents had also stocked them with enough food to make the return trip to the Resistance.

“We’ll go back and get everyone before we head to Ascension Peak. I think I’ve got a faster way of getting there,” Tyra instructed.


	19. The Ascended

Valera was beyond relieved to find her friends back together and with more people. With Cassie and Talus joining their ranks, they had made up for their previous loss and gotten another huge step closer. Cassie was a hunter and her firebird Zigs a great asset for scouting the field, and Talus was a learning master in the earliest form of Rune magic. Where he lacked in some forethought, he made it up for in enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

“But there’s still one more we’ve heard of in Ascension Peak,” Tyra explained.

Valera nodded. “Understood, but I think I have something important to say tonight. Have food and supplies prepared for us to leave tomorrow. Ascension Peak is far so we’ll need enough food and water for all of us. Sera will be meeting us there once we reach. Once the supplies are all ready, have everyone meet me in the tower.”

Tyra dipped her head in understanding, retreating to the main village to prepare supplies. She called Talus and Ying to help her out, the former of which was more than excited to be helping out.

The elf herself retreated to the top of the tower where she had made her strategy room. She passed the table and went for a dusty shelf, pulling out her bag. Buried under a lot of things was the flag of the Paladins that had been rolled up by her mother. For a long time it had sat at the bottom of her bag, but she had decided it was time for it once more.

Quietly, she unrolled it and laid it across the table in the center of the room, over the map of the Realm. It was time, she told herself. She waited in the room, hearing Tyra summon everyone below. 

She was nervous and excited as she heard people come up the stairs of the tower. She offered them a smile as they saw the old flag of the Paladins, gasping and whispering. Talus ran straight up to the table excitedly.

“Gather around,” Valera commanded. On both her sides were Barik, Inara, Cassie, Ying, Sha Lin, Pip, Talus and Lazaros, and on the opposite side of the table were other soldiers and commoners who wanted to fight too.

Valera cleared her throat. 

“I think you all know what this flag is, and what it symbolises. An era ago some of you saw this flag go up for the first time when the Realm was in chaos. To the Realm, this is the flag that restored peace. That is what this flag is. It is not of the Paladins. It is a flag of peace. Of justice.

“The Crystal Revolution brought on a wave of hope for the future. New technology, new energy. But instead the Realm was cursed into darkness by the Magistrate. There was betrayal. A figure of peace turned into a figure of despair and dread. All of us in this room went through his brutality in some way or another.

“I know some of you in the room feel like you don’t belong, like you can’t do much. I know people out there feel the same way too. But let me tell everyone in this room that you are here because you stand for peace and justice for the Realm. Just because you weren’t a Paladin in the past doesn’t mean you aren’t a Paladin now. 

“You fought for your lives a few weeks ago when they came. You were willing to sacrifice yourself and spill your blood for the Realm’s freedom. You were willing to die for a bright future.

“Being a Paladin isn’t about having shiny armour or a cool weapon. It is about fighting for what is right and what we deserve. And I hereby reinstate the flag of the Paladins. May we bring what is right, and what is just to the Realm.”

The crowd erupted from both in the tower, and downstairs where a crowd had gathered to listen. And the future really did seem brighter than ever. But it was not all celebration tonight. She waved her hand to hush the crowd once more.

“I have summoned the Empire’s guards to protect the village starting at dawn tomorrow. They will keep the village protected and safe at all times. Sera will also be here once in awhile to make sure all is right. Tomorrow Tyra, Inara, Lazaros, Pip, Talus, and myself will sail out to Ascension Peak in search of more to join our ranks. The rest will stay behind to guard the area too.”

There were a few murmurs of uncertainty that some of their best were leaving, so Valera figured they needed a little more encouragement. “The rest of you in this room who aren’t going, you all need to be here to protect the village as well. We can’t have everyone going off for a few days and leaving us exposed here. Sera will inform us if anything goes wrong here, and likewise if anything goes wrong at Ascension Peak. Got it?”

There was a chorus of agreement before the crowd dispersed. As for the flag, well, she would have liked to hang it outside but the less it was seen, the better. She rolled it back up and put it back in her bag, where it was hidden.

The crowd dispersed, leaving Tyra behind to speak to Valera. 

“I thought we were all going?” Tyra asked.

“I know, but I’ve heard of some unusual activity at Ascension Peak. I don’t want to risk more lives there than necessary,” Valera responded in a hushed tone.

“What sort of unusual activity?” Tyra pushed.

Valera shrugged. “Army movement. The same kind that attacked us here. And something about a God.”

“God?” Tyra repeated. “There aren’t any.”

Valera was quick to end the conversation when someone came back in to grab something he had left by accident. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

 

Tyra had a few friends who were in the business of sailing, and with a little convincing and a small pouch heavy with coins, had secured a lean, fast vessel to cross the ocean leading to Ascension Peak. It was a short three day ride across the water with minimal disruptions, and Talus surprised everyone with his knowledge in navigation. Athena had stayed on board most of the time, though during the storm she was hurried below the deck to keep herself from being blown away, and she fished well during clear skies. 

The cruise itself was alright minus when they all got soaked in a storm they barely outran, but things only got worse when they hit Ascension Peak’s shores. 

It was a mountainous area far up north, and no one had mentioned it was so cold. Tyra had no issue with the cold for the Frontier’s blasting winters were far worse, but everyone else was freezing.

Lazaros was visibly shivering. "No one said it was going to be this cold," he muttered darkly. Athena squawked at him, puffing up her feathers to keep herself warm.

Looking up at the mountain now, Valera realised just how long of a walk there was  
But thank goodness for Athena's presence, for she had massive reserves of energy and could fly two people at a time to the temples on the top of the mountains.

"Alright," She muttered, "Lazaros and I will go first. Athena will keep returning to pick up people two at a time until we're all at the temple."

A chorus of agreement rose from the small group, and with Athena's cooperation, had made it to the temple in a short hour.

Oddly enough, it was warmer in the temples even though they were higher up. And if that was not odd enough, there was no one. The entire place was empty.

Tyra frowned. "That's weird, it doesn't look like this place is abandoned," She noted. The place was spotless and clean, and nothing looked like it hasnt been used in a long time.

"I hear you," Valera replied, "let's split up. Talus, Inara, you're with me. Tyra, Lazaros and Pip will go on their own. Lazaros, send Artu- Athena to find us if you find anything." She found herself having to quickly correct Athena's name. It was almost surreal that Athena was now a permanent addition to the group as long as Lazaros said so.

He nodded. "Will do. Come on, let's get going." 

Ascension Peak began to show even more signs of people having lived in the temples recently, yet no sign of people at all. Prayer rooms had pillows that were recently used and stacked neatly but not even a whisper of a word came by. Shrines were lit with candles that were new, the wax barely dripping off the sides, but no matches anywhere.

And at some point, Pip ran into a statue. He shook his head, muttering swears as he rubbed his nose.

"Tsk, of course the vulpin swears," a voice floated by. But still, no person was nearby.

Tyra spun around as did Lazaros and Athena, searching for the source of the voice. There was no one but a breeze. “Who’s there?” Tyra called out.

“I am many things,” It came again, this time further away, “I am the stars…”

Tyra gestured for the group to follow the voice, which was travelling further down the sacred grounds and weaving through the once-busy streets that now lay quiet and still say for the breeze. 

“…I am space…”

Athena was running after the voice, stopping once in awhile to figure out where it had gone before chasing after it again.

“…I am the one with true, complete knowledge of the Universe…”

Lazaros ran after Athena, calling after her to slow down.

“…I am the forward motion of all that exists…”

Pip and Tyra chased after them.

“…I am the Ascended…”

Lazaros caught up to Athena, barely grabbing her reins as she took flight, dragging Lazaros into the air with her. He yelped, desperately trying to drag himself onto the saddle. For a moment, she felt something touch her beak and her eyes turned completely white for a second, glowing with knowledge.

Athena had found the source and knew where to go. Her flustered, excited flying turned steady, and she directed herself through the empty streets and towards the edge of the mountain.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Lazaros asked, having pulled himself onto the saddle. He grabbed the reins, seeing the dead drop and pulling on it. “Athena, no!” 

She stopped right at the edge, staring into the distance. There was another spire with a road that spiralled upwards onto a flat top. The griffin kept staring in silence.

Tyra and Pip caught up with Lazaros and Athena. “What happened?” Pip asked. “You guys just ran off all of a sudden. What up with the griffin?”

Athena’s eyes remained fixed on the empty spire. There was nothing for a moment.

“Hell if I know,” Lazaros muttered, “but I think Athena found something.”

Soft whistles began to sound, small pricks of light shining from the empty spire. The light grew, and with a brilliant flash, a man appeared. His hair was perfectly white as were his eyes through a mask, and he slowly floated over to the group that had intruded on his property.

He eyed each of them slowly, before coming to stop at Athena. "This is yours?" He asked Lazaros, who could only nod in response. "A grand creature," The mystical man noted.

"Why are you here on my property?" He asked.

Tyra promptly stepped forward to answer. "We are looking for someone."

The man stared at her for a moment. "You do not search for me," He finally said after a moment.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone else living here. And who are you anyway?" Tyra asked.

"I am Jenos, the Ascended. You are very curious, to speak to a God like that. Are the other people scurrying around my home your friends?" 

Tyra assumed Jenos was talking about Valera, Inara and Talus. "Yes. If you're not the one we seek, then who is? You ought to know, if you are a God."

Jenos scoffed. "Tsk, most people are a lot more respectful. Come, we will speak in my temple. Bring your friends."

Jenos led them to a small, dark temple. Right at the centre of the end was a massive shrine of Jenos, with candles that burned brightly, releasing a light fragrance into the room.

Lazaros had a question, but Jenos answered it before it was asked. "I saw your griffin and gave it the knowledge of where I could be found before it broke anything with those wings." 

Jenos summoned Valera, Inara and Talus with a bright beam of light.

"Ask your questions, for once you leave you should not return. There is a war coming," Jenos mused. He floated in front of the shrine.

"So you know of the coming war? You know what the Magistrate is doing to the Realm?" Tyra asked.

"Yes," Jenos simply replied.

"Can you stop it?" Pip chimed in.

"It is not in my path to interfere with your battles. My battle is with House Aico, and that fool Khan."

Khan, where had Tyra heard that name before? She knew she had heard that name before, but where?

"But this threatens the entire Realm!" Lazaros input.

Jenos eyed him levelly. “Do you really think I would not know the Realm’s destiny, much less my own?” He asked.

Lazaros didn’t know how to answer. He simply looked away, not knowing what else to say.

Valera, Inara and Talus had seen the beam of light, for they came hurriedly, curious as to what was going on. And it seemed the rumours were true, for Valera came face to face with this god.

Jenos insisted that he was not the one they were looking for and if they just went further up the mountain where there were a few more people living out of danger of House Aico, the Paladins would find who they sought.

But it was a daunting journey ahead, and Jenos decided to impart with a few words. “The Realm is counting on you all to usher in a new era. The Realm seeks new leaders, and I see them before me.”

The golden light of the setting sun was slowly creeping along the edges of the walls, bathing Ascension Peak in the rich glow. Behind them, the moon began to peek over the horizon. 

“You will not disappoint,” Jenos mentioned, “as long as your judgment is true and your courage unlimited. Now go, I must leave too. You are seeking a man named Buck. Ask the locals and they will help you.”

With another great flash of light, Jenos was gone, and Ascension Peak went silent again. Slowly, faint chatters began to float down from above where the residents had moved to keep themselves away from danger.

“I guess that’s where we’re headed,” Valera mentioned. “Come on, we don’t have any time to waste.”


	20. Lost Allies

The small village the Paladins had made their home in was quiet with a group of them gone, far away on some cold shore where the air was thin and chilly. The townsfolk didn’t say much, going about their normal lives, and the Paladins that remained behind to keep the village safe didn’t have much to talk about either.

Barik worked steadily at the small forge, crafting new weapons and upgrading old ones every day to keep their defences strong. Ying continued to check in with those who had suffered heavy injuries during the siege. Cassie spent her time training Zigs and familiarising herself with her new surroundings. Sha Lin scouted around every day to keep tabs on any unusual movement and visited the city often.

But all the while, they were watched by someone else from the shadows, an unknowing presence waiting to reveal himself when the time was right. But for now, he had other plans that needed doing, and it involved one Paladin and a history written in blood.

He had observed the Paladins for several weeks now, memorising their patterns, picking out their weaknesses from the shadows, learning how they played on each others’s strengths and created a formidable, almost unstoppable force. 

He had seen them fight against House Aico when the village was stormed. He had seen some of them leave for Ascension Peak. He had thought over what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it for long.

And when he knew Sha Lin would be coming around to scout, he was waiting. The archer was on high alert even though there was no reason to be, but out here where everyone was your enemy it never hurt to be careful. 

Even though his bow was slack and no arrow in his hand, the second he saw a trace of black smoke his bow string was taut and his arrow drawn, perfectly tracking the shadowy figure.

“Show yourself,” Sha Lin commanded, no trace of friendliness in his voice. Everyone was out to kill him until he knew them otherwise.

Nothing but a few leaves rustled, and a wisp of black smoke dashed by again. This time, Sha Lin had an idea who it might have been and gave chase, hoping it wasn’t who he expected.

Sha Lin couldn’t catch up to the stranger chasing him directly, for the shadow man was faster, but he certainly could do something else. Smashing the white crystal on his bracer, he disappeared from sight, shimmering into thin air.

The stranger looked back, confused that his pursuer was gone and slowed, but when he looked back he stopped suddenly when he found an arrow pointed at his head. The smoky figure still had no distinguishable figure, but dared not to move further. An arrow at this range would go clean through his skull.

"Why are you still following me Zhin?" Sha Lin growled.

"Zhin?" The figure repeated. The smoke blew away with a breeze and revealed a masked man with white hair. "I'm not Zhin," He snarled back.

Sha Lin lowered his bow a fraction, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Koga?" 

"Congrats, you got it right on the second try," The masked figure rolled his eyes. 

Sha Lin didn't know how to respond. So many figures of his past were coming back. First Zhin, now Koga. "Why?" Was all he could manage.

If there was something he shared with Koga, it was that both of them had been involved in the Thousand Hands guild, and Sha Lim raised his bow again. "What, did Zhin send you to kill me?" 

Koga scoffed. "Oh, you haven't heard the news? They betrayed me."

"And...?" Sha Lin asked, not understanding what Koga wanted.

Koga eyed the forest around them. "Let's talk somewhere else. You got anywhere to go?"

Sha Lin figured that the Paladins wouldn't miss him yet. "No," He replied.

"Then let's go. We have quite a bit of catching up to do.” 

 

The air was colder and thinner the higher they went, and they would have gotten faster of Athena wasn’t tired. But it was a short twenty minute trek to the town and by the time they got there, the sun was fully gone and the town was twinkling with lights as people buzzed about their lives, some stopping to curiously watch the stranger.

“Let’s not waste any time,” Valera instructed. “Let’s split up again and ask around for this guy. We’ll spend the night before heading back tomorrow morning if we can find him tonight.”

The group nodded, slowly drifting away into the night crowd. It was cheerful and bright, hums of chants floating in the night breeze, followers of Jenos observing the moon, charting stars under the open sky, lightning torches to keep the night lit against the dark mountain. 

With no way of knowing who they were looking for, the group just wandered everywhere, getting a taste of Ascension Peak’s nightlife and asking a lot of questions, but many didn’t have any good answers or one at all.

One monk Valera ran into however, did have an answer. “He’s been here for as long as people can tell. When the Ascended found his godhood amongst the stars he was here, waiting. He was here for months and even after everyone else had gone, and the Ascended spoke to him.”

“Tell me more,” Valera asked, “what does he look like?”

The monk nodded. “He’s a big man with a shotgun. Bald. Quite tall. He’s easy to spot in a crowd given his size. I am certain you will find him.”

Valera was hastily taking mental notes of everything. “Do you have anything he’s touched recently?” She asked.

The monk raised an eyebrow curiously. “He hasn’t come in a few days, but he has an amulet he placed here when he was last here.” He led Valera to the shrine at the end of the temple, handing her a jade amulet.

She quickly thanked him, having an idea on finding this man if he wasn’t around. She approached the nearest person outside, asking if they had seen a griffin come by. He directed her, and she went running after Lazaros and Athena.

“Hey! Lazaros! Wait up!” She called out. The redhead turned back, eyeing the curious item in her hand.

“What’s up?” He asked, “Find anything?”

“There was a monk that knew the guy we’re looking for. He left an amulet that probably has his smell. How’s Athena’s tracking?” Valera asked, offering the griffin the amulet to sniff.

"I've been practicing her a command to track things actually," Lazaros commented. He whistled a short and sharp call, Athena immediately snapping her head to look at him. He took the amulet and offered it to her, letting her sniff and identify the stranger's smell.

Once she had identified the smell, she turned away from the amulet and began to sniff the air and the ground, trying to match the smells in her surroundings. When she found a matching scent, she squawked.

“Looks like she’s found it. Come on, we’ll ride with her,” Lazaros offered, climbing onto the saddle. Valera followed suit, feeling how focused Athena was on the task at hand.

This time she was calm and composed, quietly soaring through the air, above temples and shophouses, bathing in the moonlight of an open sky. Her wings shifted ever so slightly when the scent went somewhere else, and it was if anything, a peaceful moment.

But there wasn’t a lot of time to enjoy the moment, for there were other things at hand that needed to be attended to. Athena, determined to please, focused hard on the task.

She was swift, powering on whenever the scent got stronger and slowing down and regaining her bearings when it was lost, until she came to rest by a lonely little two-floor house, away from the rest of the buzz of people.

“I guess this is it,” Valera muttered. She gave Athena a rewarding scratch on the chin as her thanks, leaving her and Lazaros to hang around in the cold air while she wandered over to the small house’s door.

She pressed her ear to it first, trying to listen if anyone was in. When nothing came, she knocked. Still, nothing.

“If anyone’s in there, I’m coming in,” Valera announced, hoping that should anyone be on the other side of the door wasn’t holding a shotgun or something.

Except that the person on the other side was indeed holding a shotgun, but he matched the rest of the monk’s description. The man eyed her curiously, neither of them saying anything for a moment.

“What is going on?” The man asked. His eyes widened as Valera showed him the amulet that belonged to him. “Where’d you get that?”

“I asked some monk,” Valera shrugged, dropping the amulet back in the man’s hands. “Some intelligence told me you were willing to rally with a resistance force against the Magistrate.”

A grin grew on the man’s face. “You got that right then. The name’s Buck. Yours?” He stuck out a massive hand to Valera, who gracefully took it.

“Valera.”

Outside, Lazaros was huddling under Athena’s wing, rubbing his arms and trying to keep out the cold. “Hey, could you hurry up? I’m freezing,” He muttered. Valera glanced back at him and nodded.

“If you accept the duties of a Paladin, meet me tomorrow at the lower village at sunrise. We will return to the town by the Empire then.” She received a firm nod from Buck before he retreated into his house, leaving Valera and Lazaros to figure out accommodations for the night.

The entire village atop Ascension Peak had quietened down, and the monk they had spoken to earlier was happy to house Valera and her friends for the night in one of the monastery rooms. It wasn’t a castle or anything grand, but it was clear that effort had been put in to making the Paladins feel welcome. Hot tea was served to those who wanted some, and they were curled up in their beds before the moon had gone too far beyond its peak.

Buck did not disappoint the next day, for by the time the Paladins got back down to the empty village below, he was already waiting for them. Valera couldn’t help but feel real hope. She had to remind herself to stay in reality, but hope for the future had her feeling light and free. And perhaps soon, the whole Realm would feel the same way. 

Having rested well, Athena dutifully took her friends from the mountain back down to the docks at the foot of the cold peaks tirelessly, before Tyra met up with her friend who handled the ship. She caught up with Buck on the ride home, revealing to Valera that they had both worked under Grand Magister Karne way back before the Crystal Revolution, but left disillusioned at his crimes. While Tyra turned to the wild to get away, Buck turned to the stars to find himself again.

Valera expected that to be it - this was their group, the Paladins. What she didn’t expect was for one more person to be patiently waiting back home.

Sha Lin hoped that it would go well, for he didn’t know where he was going to stand between Koga and Valera, or what he would give up for the other.


	21. Lost at Sea

The ocean was a powerful force, almost with a mind of its own. Sometimes it would grant its passengers a smooth, safe journey, peacefully carrying ships across calm, shining waters.

This was absolutely not that time, nor was it about to get any better. Talus sat at the bow of the ship, eyeing the weather ahead of them. Dark clouds rolled in steady waves, threatening to cast heavy rain down on them at any moment. In the distance the water was foggy, signalling that rain was already pouring down over there and it was only a matter of time before they sailed right into it.

“Is there any way around it? The storm looks nasty,” Tyra asked, coming up to join Talus. 

The Ska’Drin scratched his head. “I mean, we could, but it would cost us a few extra days. Doesn’t really seem worth all the time and trouble.”

“It looks like we’re sailing right into trouble,” Tyra muttered in response. The waters below them were getting choppy as it was, though the ship remained steady. She didn’t think the ship would be able to stay like this once they were right in the middle of the storm.

“We got through a storm when we went to Ascension Peak. How bad could it be?” Talus asked.

It was absolutely horrid, once they got into the storm. While the wind had initially pushed the dark clouds back a little and held the rain back for another hour, it must have changed directions, for the crew found themselves plunged into a raging storm all of a sudden.

Water was whipped onto the ship by striking winds, the ship heaving and rocking violently by the waves below that picked it up and smashed it down, sending even more water onto the deck. The crew was doing their best not to get thrown off the ship.

They had been prepared for the most part, having moved Athena below deck already when the storm was getting close and bracing themselves, but they didn’t expect to get hit so hard. 

“Lazaros! Get below deck and keep Athena from wrecking anything!” Tyra barked, “Inara, move whatever you can below deck! We need the weight to keep the ship from getting thrown!” 

Everyone seemed to leap into action at Tyra’s instructions. Inara easily moved heavy crates below the deck with Lazaros’s help in taking them down the hatch, Valera, Buck, Pip and Talus racing to the sails to keep them from getting shredded by the wind.

Tyra could feel the sheer pressure and resistance on the wheel when she tried to steer the ship, and for every tiny bit of advantage she got against the storm, it seemed to get twice as strong.

The ship rocked violently, the waves below picking the entire ship up and smashing it into the water. A massive wave crashed down on it, but the boat held strong against it, stubbornly refusing to crack or break. The sails however, were having a harder time resisting the slashing winds.

“Is there a storm sail?” Tyra shouted, hardly able to hear herself over the storm.

“What?” Pip shouted back.

“Storm sail!” Tyra shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Talus hugged the mast, trying not to get carried away by the waves. “There’s no time for storm sails!"

Tyra had no idea what Talus had said over the shrieking winds. "Just keep the sails from tearing apart!" She turned her attention back to the wheel, a scream escaping her as a huge wave grew in front of her and struck the ship, throwing her back. When the water receded as far as it would go, she picked her soaking self back up, hurrying back to the wheel to keep in control of the ship. 

There was some shouting going on, but Tyra couldn't pick up what anyone was saying. She was surprised to find Buck pulling himself up to her, fighting against the wind and water.

"Man overboard!" He shouted, "Talus and Valera are overboard!"

"What?" Tyra repeated, "Get Lazaros and Athena to find them!"

Buck nodded at the order, stumblimg across the soaking deck while rain fired down like bullets. Lightning struck above, thunder rumbling after it. 

Every pole and surface became something Buck needed to keep himself standing as wave after wave crashed down on him. He grabbed the hatch and opened it.

Lazaros hadn't taken too much from the storm while under the deck, but Athena was on the brink of panicking. Her feathers were puffed out, eyes wide, nervously eyeing her surroundings with every rock and shake.

"Tyra needs you," Buck panted, "Valera and Talus are overboard!"

Lazaros froze, Buck having to shake him to get him to focus. "You and your griffin need to get them! Go!"

Lazaros wanted to do anything but dive into the freezing waters, but it was that or Valera and Talus's deaths. And that was not something he was okay with. He nodded, hands clearly trembling, but did his best not to show his fear to Athena.

"We're gonna go find them," He told Buck, who nodded and went back up the hatch while Lazaros tried to persuade Athena. "Come on girl, I need you to be brave now, okay?" 

Athena was resisting, but Lazaros had no choice. He stroked her beak until she calmed down enough before taking her back to the deck and saddling her.

"Remember your training on finding things?" He asked, his voice muted against the storm, "you gotta do it again now!" He looked Athena closely in the eye, using the command to get her ready to track someone.

She braced herself against the rain, drops rolling off her semi-waterproof coat and sniffed the deck, identifying Valera's smell first. Having known Valera for long, she had no issue finding her smell and tracking where she had last been. Squawking to alert Lazaros that she was ready, he mounted and let Athena take control as they soared off the ship and over the thunderous waters.

The rain was not any nicer up in the air, and Lazaros could feel the power in every stroke of Athena's wings as she did her best not to get carried off by the wind.

Every so often Athena would dive closer to the raging ocean, taking the breaths of the ocean as an opportunity to get closer and search.

But there was nothing each time, and both she and her rider would become more frustrated and desperate with each time she had to soar back upwards when a powerful wave threatened to take them both. 

Athena eyed the choppy waters carefully, finding a slight gleam at the surface and diving for it. As she got close to the water, she pulled up and grabbed at the object with her talons, revealing Valera’s crystal sword. But yet there was no sight of the warrior anywhere. Lazaros took the sword from the griffin’s talons and she dove again, finding a necklace that belonged to Talus.

They could have searched for longer, but lightning struck near the griffin, immediately sending her into a panic. Athena screeched in fright, Lazaros clinging to her saddle for dear life.

All coordination was lost, and Lazaros had to take over before they plunged into the water, steering the frightened griffin back to the ship.

The ship was not doing any better, continuing its struggle with the ocean, and Athena would not leave the deck despite Lazaros's efforts to calm her.

"She won't go! She's scared!" Lazaros shouted over the thunder.

Tyra glared back, water whipping into her face for a moment. As much as she wanted to keep searching for her friends, her instinct now was to get the rest of them to safety or they'd all be at the bottom of the ocean in the hour.

She didn't consider how her choice to power on would come back to haunt her later, and slammed the ship into full power, shredding through waves in a fight to get out of the storm.

And so the ship spearheaded out without its crew looking back once onto what they had left behind, but it would be a hard story to tell the others when the guilt had finally caught up to them.

 

The Paladins back home were delighted to see their friends come home, but there was an air of unease and sadness amongst them. Little eye contact was made between the Paladins that had just arrived back home, and those who had stayed, but they let them settle down before asking what had happened. And it started with Sha Lin asking Lazaros why he looked so distraught.

“Oh… it’s uh… I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you,” The boy muttered. He scratched the back of his head, rubbing his salt-laden hair from the rain. “Maybe ask Tyra,” He hurriedly said before ushering Athena off and following her.

Sha Lin frowned. Something was definitely off, and he had a feeling he knew what it was about when he noticed Valera and Talus were missing. He didn’t need to be as perceptive as he was to know that, and his worry was only worsened when he found Tyra pacing the tower’s meeting room.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sha Lin asked, closing the meeting room’s door behind him. 

Tyra’s head snapped up as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been doing. “Nothing,” She snapped back.

Sha Lin’s frown only deepened. “You’re very out of character, and where’s Valera? And Talus?” He asked.

“I said nothing!” Tyra snapped harder this time. Sha Lin did not mistake the look of guilt and tiredness in her eyes, mixed with anger and confusion. He could feel the seed of worry grow even more as he put two and two together.

But he didn’t like assumptions, and pressed further. “Something happened to them. What happened? Where are they?”

Tyra stared at him with hollow eyes and a sunken face. He noticed just how tired she was at that moment. Her eyes were steely for a moment, but they gave way. “They’re gone,” She whispered.

And there it was. “Gone? What do you mean gone? What happened?” The archer pressed.

“I mean they’re dead. We ran into a storm and they were swept overboard. No one survives a storm like that,” Tyra muttered. With each and every word there was more force, more anger. Why couldn’t he just shut up?

Sha Lin shook his head. “Did you guys look?”

Tyra lost it. “Of course we looked! What the hell makes you think that we didn’t? It wasn’t as if we had a choice, it was them or the entire ship would go down! I’m sorry that we couldn’t magically just make the entire ocean stop and go prancing around looking for them at our own leisure! What the hell would you know anyway, you weren’t there!”

The usually level-headed Sha Lin had kept his cool for the most part, but Tyra just had to make it seem like his fault. “The hell do I know, you won’t tell me the whole story. Stop acting like this, there are people out there now whose lives depend on us! We have to move on.”

Tyra scowled. “Do you even care?” She snarled, “Or do you just live in your pretty little world where it’s just you and the entire desert and all your loving fans where nothing ever goes wrong, and you’re always the hero?”

Tyra’s guilt was turning into anger and sending her off track, but Sha Lin was not going to take such a personal blow like this. “What makes you think I don’t care? We’ve known Valera for as long as each other, and I’ve lost my friends and family too! You don’t get to tell me that I don’t care!

“Do you seriously think that I’m not torn up about this? That I’m not already missing her?” Sha Lin hissed back. “What makes you think I don’t care?”

“Then why are you so fast to move on?” Tyra demanded, tears streaking her face. “Do you not grieve? Or feel anything?"

“Because this is war, and people die in war! We all knew that when we took up the oath of being a Paladin!” Sha Lin was really shouting now, and it was a terrible thing to behold. Fire was burning in his eyes, but as Tyra didn’t say any more, the fire burned out. “Not all of us get to make it out alive. But now without her, we have two options. We can sit here and mope about it, or we can finish what we started. And honestly? She would have wanted us to restore peace to the Realm.”

Tyra stared at him, before looking away and quickly brushing the tears from her face. She stared at the ground, the reality that her best friend was dead and there was nothing to do about it. And Talus was gone too, all his potential wasted. It really hurt now, when the guilt had caught up to her.

The archer sighed, muttering a quiet, “I’ll leave you to think,” before leaving the room, and leaving Tyra to her own thoughts. 

Lazaros had heard the shouting match going on from the tower earlier and flinched, every exchange between Sha Lin and Tyra like daggers in his heart. He too was very guilty about it, for maybe if he had tried hard enough they would have found Valera and Talus. But all they had left of them was a sword and a necklace, which now both sat by a fire as the rest of the Paladins discussed what to do next.

While the others talked, he just sat by Athena with his knees pressed up to his chest and his face buried in his hands, thinking, grieving, blaming himself. The others talked about rituals, moving on, the heaviness of death hanging low over them and their hushed whispers.

The other Paladins eventually parted, leaving the personal effects of their friends by the fire, which would be kept soon and displayed in the tower later. But Lazaros had a different plan for them, and kept an eye on them while he prepared himself for a long journey until nightfall, where he quietly wrapped up Valera’s sword in a heavy case and strung Talus’s necklace around his neck for safekeeping.

And in the dead of night, he quietly left the Paladins with Athena as his only companion.


	22. Rough Patches

Lazaros though himself a coward for running away without telling anyone else, but he told himself it was the best for everyone. And a coward wouldn’t go looking for his friends, would he?

But perhaps he should have said something to someone else, let them know what he was doing. Yet, he was certain they wouldn’t have let him. After all, Valera and Talus were dead. There was no point hunting for dead people.

Lazaros had taken Valera’s sword and Talus’s necklace, using it to remind Athena of their smell and keep them on track. His sorrow had seeped away and left a stony, emotionless tire behind. But there was no stopping, no rest, until they had gotten closer to finding their friends.

Hours passed, and they turned into days of moving closer to the ocean, keeping a steady and constant pace towards where they had last seen Valera and Tyra. The moon was high above them now, as they crossed the last stretch of forest before the ocean.

Everything went smooth until they got to the ocean. Athena, with lightning imprinted in her mind when she saw the endless stretch of water, stubbornly dug her claws and talons into the ground and squawked defiantly at Lazaros.

The man, tired dragging his emotional burden around, didn’t bother to try convince Athena to cross the ocean. He just turned her around and headed back into the trees, looking for a place to camp for the night.

There was a small clearing that was well sheltered for the most part, hidden well. In the darkness, it was impossible to know there was a clearing at all unless someone accidentally stumbled upon it. It was far from the main path, so Lazaros doubted anyone would walk into it.

Athena got set to rolling on the grass, while Lazaros hunted around for some dried twigs and pebbles, deciding he could afford a small fire. As he pulled out his rations and allowed himself to eat, he stared around and realised how quiet it was. If it were not for the crackle of the fire and Athena’s rolling about, it would have been dead silent.

He realised he already missed his friends. He missed Sha Lin’s lighthearted jokes, Ying's quiet laughter, Inara’s witty remarks, Tyra’s insistence to relax. He missed Barik’s grumbling, and even the newer members he hadn’t known for long. Among everything else however, he missed Valera’s constant mutters of strategising, and Talus’s playful edge. That hit him the hardest.

Putting his food aside for a moment, he drew Valera’s sword, admiring the handcrafted blade. It shone a brilliant blue, was harder than steel and sharper than diamond. The hilt was cold however, and he figured it wouldn’t have been if its rightful owner had it.

He took off Talus’s necklace too, thumbing it over and looking closely at all the marks. It was made of a sturdy but simple thread with two loops, and had a couple of sharp teeth-like pendants.

He had never wished harder for anything in his life, but he silently told himself he’d do anything to bring them back. He had even abandoned his safety and his life as a Paladin to find them, or to find closure.

Putting aside the personal effects, he tied up his rations and stuffed them back into his travel packs and pulling out his sleeping bag. There was a long day ahead tomorrow, and he was not going to waste any of it.

While it hurt to be the bearer of bad news, there was no way the Paladins could keep their losses from the rest forever. Questions popped up, demanding to know where Valera was, and Tyra had been the one to confirm the fatalities in the village they called home, while Sha Lin rode to the Empire to tell Acting Regent Sera and the chief advisor.

There was chaos immediately following the news, desperation rising, but a quick speech reminded everyone that there was still hope and fighting spirit. Fears were settled and worries eased, and when Sha Lin returned to the village he took the opportunity to introduce Koga, with whom he had talked to almost a week ago. While they had initially planned to bring it up to Valera when she returned, Sha Lin decided to take his own initiative and bring Koga in as a Paladin. He remembered to remind everyone however, that Koga was not a replacement for Valera, but they needed all hands and could not pass up another member, even if it was bad timing.

Not all the problems had been solved however, for some older members had trust issues with Koga, but Sha Lin decided it wasn’t an issue that needed his attention badly. It had however, come to his attention that Lazaros and Athena had disappeared too with no trace or sign.

“I saw him,” Koga muttered to Sha Lin, arms crossed. “Redhead dude with the griffin right?”

Sha Lin’s attention was fully grasped by Koga’s remark. “Really? When?”

“I was hanging around outside couple of nights ago. Saw him take a sword and a necklace left lying around and disappeared in the dead of night,” Koga replied.

The archer frowned. He put two and two together, realising that Lazaros had taken Valera’s sword and Talus’s necklace left behind. But he couldn’t figure out the motives. “Did he say anything?”

Koga shook his head. “Nah. Not a single word to anyone.”

“That doesn’t make any sense…” Sha Lin muttered to himself.

Koga shrugged. “Does anything nowadays?” He asked rhetorically, wandering off before Sha Lin could pester him with more questions. The archer would have followed to see if Koga knew more, but a sharp whistle from Tyra got his attention. Turning around, he saw her gesture for him to follow. Looking between Koga and Tyra, he figured Koga would still be lurking around later and followed Tyra to the meeting room.

The rest of the Paladins had gathered there too, or whatever was left of their group. Tyra’s face was set with hard, pure determination, burning like a forest fire in a summer haze. Sha Lin figured it was something big if she had gathered all the Paladins.

“Paladins, we’ve dragged out this battle with the Magistrate too long. We’ve suffered many losses because of it. We gained many members with the time too. But we cannot drag this out any longer,” Tyra began.

“We may not be able to just march up to Stone Keep and take him down like that. He has thousands of soldiers and guards, and many of them are highly trained too. However, I have a game plan this time.

“Buck and I discussed what we knew about the Magistrate, information we had gathered during our service with Karne about him, his army, and how it all works. We may not be able to take him head on, but we can weaken him until he has no resources left.

“Karne relies heavily on three resources - his intelligence, his weapon supply, and his soldiers. If we eliminate all three, we can possibly drive him into a corner.” Tyra stepped up to the map on the table, which had been filled out with impossibly huge amounts of information. The rest eyed her with curiousity.

“Firstly, his intelligence.” Tyra pulled out a closer map of Stone Keep’s area - it included the Magistrate’s main castle, and a smaller area known as the Archives. “His intelligence all ends up in the Archives. Any information his scouts find, all records of meetings, documents and profiles, it’s all here. He sends for information from the Archives whenever he needs it, and immediately puts everything back in one area. If we can time it right, we may be able to destroy the Archive while everything he has is in it.”

Nods of understanding and agreement came from the group that surrounded her. She moved her attention to another map, placing another marker down. It was a map of Splitstone Quarry, and Barik clearly frowned when he recognised the area. 

“Secondly, his weapon supply. The Deepwerks is his only source of weapons, right Barik?” Tyra confirmed.

The dwarf nodded, scowling. “Aye, bloody bastard turns us into his machines! Forcin’ us to pump out his stupid crummy weapons, day and night!” He protested. “Actually, nah. He gets some from House Aico too, as I heard that woman Vivian talk about it some time ago. But the Deepwerks is his primary source. House Aico doesn’t make enough weapons to fully support that bastard Karne.”

Tyra briefly nodded while scribbling down this new information about House Aico, reminding herself to look into it. She pinned the note to a side and returned her attention back to the map. 

“The Deepwerks is currently essentially a prison. It’s heavily guarded day and night, with only one way out. If we can overpower the guards, we can likely set the people in the Deepwerks free, essentially cutting off Karne’s weapon supply by a huge majority.”

Again, a chorus of nods and some muttering. The third plan was simple. “As for his soldiers, we just have to kill pretty much anyone we see that isn’t friendly and keep cutting down his numbers when we can. It’s hard, and the size of the job means splitting up won’t really work, but I think we can do it.”

Pip glanced at the map of the Archives, comparing it to Stone Keep castle. “Actually, we may not even need to be there at the Archives to blow it up. Not all of us at least.”

“Got something in mind?” Tyra asked.

“The Archives are pretty small right? How big is it?” Pip replied.

Tyra shared a glance with Buck, who shrugged. “The Archives span a pretty wide area, three buildings to be exact.”

Pip laughed. “That’s nothing,” He scoffed. “I’ll just need to bring some of my bigger charges and an extra pair of hands or two to set them up before we get out of there and detonate them remotely. It’ll save us loads of time and manpower since we won’t all need to be there.”

Tyra considered what Pip was talking about. It would be good to not have to use all hands in one area and get a head start on another. Slowly, she nodded. “That makes sense. Alright then, you’ll be in charge of destroying the Archives. Let me know who else you want with you later.”

“As for the Deepwerks, Barik, do you remember the guard schedule? And how many guards there are?” Tyra prompted.

Barik produced a crumpled sheet of paper from a shelf. “No need to remember it. I copied it down just in case I wanted to know when I could sneak some time for myself.” He handed the sheet to Tyra, who examined it closely. “There ain’t a lot of guards, maybe fifty or so and that witch Vivian. Terrible person she is.”

“Is she threatening?” Tyra distractedly prompted, still studying the schedule and cross referencing it with the map to get an idea of how the guards would be positioned.

“Threatening?” Barik repeated incredulously, “That woman’s a straight up murderer. Won’t have an issue shooting someone right there in ‘is seat if he said something out of place.

Tyra seemed to remember her, but she wasn’t that bad in the past when they worked together. That was not to say that Tyra liked Vivian one bit, because something always felt off about her. She nodded. “We’ll take her out if we have to. Storming the Deepwerks will require all of us to be present however, so maybe Pip’s team can take off early. We likely won’t come back until the Archives and the Deepwerks are both destroyed, so pack well. I’ll summon the Royal Guards from the Empire to keep the place protected while we’re gone. Pip, who’s with you?”

“I’ll take Koga and Buck. It’ll be useful to have a lunatic with claws and someone who knows the place on hand,” Pip commented, earning himself a smack on the head from Koga.

Tyra smiled. “Done. We leave in three days time at dawn. Make sure all your horses are ready and you have enough food, water, and ammunition. We’ve got a long way ahead of us. Dismissed.”

Tyra was ready to leave, but Sha Lin gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back while the rest left. “Are you okay?” Tyra asked, looking down at his hand around her wrist.

“Do you know Lazaros is gone?” Sha Lin asked in return.

“Yes. I don’t know where he’s gone though, but he hasn’t been present for a few days now,” Tyra replied. 

Sha Lin ran a hand through his hair in desperation. “I think I know what he’s done. We have to look for him.”

“We don’t have that sort of time,” Tyra protested.

“We’ll just look while we’re near the Deepwerks and I’ll ask Koga, Pip and Buck to have a look around at the Archives. We’re not straying from the plan,” He insisted. Tyra sighed, not wanting to put up a fight.

“Fine, but we prioritise the plan over finding him. When we’re done we can put all out effort into looking for him.” That seemed to satisfy the archer, for he nodded and left without another word. Tyra followed suit, deciding to busy herself with preparations and leaving her thinking for another time.

The next three days seemed to zip by in a flash, hardly remembering any of it. Preparations were made, speeches given, packs checked, double checked, triple checked, horses cared for, last minute stressing out until it was really time to leave.

Sha Lin pulled Koga aside as Tyra checked all the mounts, ensuring all of them were ready for the long travels ahead of them.

Koga didn’t question why Sha Lin had pulled him aside, waiting quietly for Sha Lin to explain. He knew Sha Lin had a request for him, however. The archer dropped his voice to a whisper, glancing back every so often to make sure Tyra wasn’t noticing.

“Lazaros is missing. I need you to keep and eye out for him or any signs of there having been a scuffle when you’re at the Archives. Tyra won’t approve of this, but I’ll meet you at the Archives after you’ve destroyed it. We need to find him,” The archer instructed.

“Any idea where’s he’s been at all?” Koga asked, his voice nothing more then a low growl.

“No,” Sha Lin muttered, “but look out for traces of a griffin. Talon marks, claw marks, feathers, fur, whatever. If there’s a griffin, likely he’s with it. Wild griffins don’t come around often. I’ll ride close and split from the group when I hear the explosion.”

The assassin nodded, understanding the plan. It was a little bit of an honour, for Sha Lin to ask him of such a favour even though they had only reunited recently. It really felt like Sha Lin trusted him, and he wouldn’t let him down.

Tyra called to them. “Hey! We’re ready to move off. Mount up,” She ordered. They split and joined the rest on their horses, Pip, Buck and Koga moving off in a different direction than the rest towards Stone Keep while the others, to the Deepwerks.


	23. Hall of Heroes

The water was cold and pulling, greedily threatening to pull its victims to its icy depths even after the storm had passed. Had it not been for a benign ocean-dweller, Valera and Talus very well would have died.

Their rescuer typically did not interfere with whatever was out in the deep ocean, but he had recognised Talus and decided to bring the strange elf found sputtering on driftwood nearby to the shore of Serpent Beach as well.

Dragging the exhausted pair onto the shore and keeping them away from the bright sun from under a small overhang of rocks, he quickly checked their breathing and pulse. Finding both satisfactory, he left them alone while he meditated by the shore.

Talus was the first to wake in a coughing fit, sputtering water out onto the sand. With bleary, tired eyes he squinted against the sun, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. The Ska’Drin stumbled to his feet, forgetting about Valera’s presence and heading down to the shore where a lone figure sat.

As he got closer, he recognised who was on the beach, starting to get into a run though he tripped multiple times doing so. “Makoa!” Talus cried out, leaping onto the ancient sea turtle’s back.

Makoa was startled, not having noticed Talus sneaking up. Seeing Talus awake, Makoa pulled himself from his meditation, stretching a little. “Good to see you, Talus. Is your friend awake?”

Talus cast a curious look at Makoa when he mentioned a friend, before looking back further up the shore and seeing Valera. He ran up, shaking the elf awake. “Come on, get up Val!” Talus called, shaking her.

Valera grumbled, pushing Talus aside and propping herself up with one arm, squinting against the sun. “Where are we?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

“Serpent Beach,” Makoa explained, “Home of the Ska’Drin. Or what is left of it. We no longer live on the mainland because of what people do to the Ska’Drin.”

Valera noticed how Talus’s face fell a little when Makoa talked, but he brightened up instantly. “Let’s go visit my home then! Do they miss me? Did you miss me Makoa?”

Makoa smiled. “Of course. It was lonely without you running around all day being a bother to everyone you know.” He playfully nudged Talus’s shoulder.

Valera rubbed her temples, feeling a headache set in from having been quite literally dunked into cold water for hours. "I hope you guys have painkillers," she mutteted.

"We'll do one better," Talus commented, "besides being masters at Rune magic, we're pretty great healers too! Or at least some of us are. It's slowly fading because the people targeted those who did know how to heal, but we're learning it again!"

Valera was amazed at how Talus could talk so much, and with such immense energy. She barely had enough strength to walk. But she followed along anyway, though she lagged behind a bit as she wished Talus's home was nearby.

 

Pip, Buck, and Koga reached the Archives in just a little over a day's ride, timing their breaks in the day so that they reached at night.

They had arrived an hour early and waited beyond the walls for the guards to change shifts. When they did, Koga would scale the walls and unlock the gate that Buck had identified earlier while they circled the compound.

Once the gate was unlocked, they only had a few minutes to set the charges within the Archives before fleeing and detonating the charges. They had to disappear before the guards changed shifts, but in case they couldn't for whatever reason, they all had their weapons with them just in case.

They waited patiently by the walls, Koga as close as he could get to it without being seen. They only had a few minutes to act and get out if they wanted as little trouble as possible.

Koga was about to lose his patience when the guards began to shift and yawn. They did one last general sweep before moving off, letting Koga jump the wall as soon as their backs were turned.

He was light as a feather, having mastered the art of being a ninja. His footsteps made no sound, his movements fluid and fast. He scaled the stone wall with ease, immediately heading for the gate.

Pip and Buck were ready by the gate, slipping in as soon as it was open. They set to work, Pip having briefed them on where to set the charges to cause the most devastating explosion.

The Archives were spread across three buildings, of which the books and records were all stored in the further two buildings. The one in the middle was more decorative and had some glass cases where prized items once lay. The glass was shattered now and whatever was inside long robbed, the only trace of a person ever being there from the dried drops of blood on the floor.

While the charges only really needed to be in the two further buildings for the centre one held nothing important, Pip liked to be thorough. He also liked explosions, so the bigger the blast, the better. 

Working quickly, they set the charges. They ran back for the gate, leaping over the wall before Pip gleefully pulled the detonator from his belt and pressed the button. 

Their laughs were deafened by the massive, bright explosion. They ducked back into the forest, watching and hearing guards scurry to the Archives, shouts erupting from the ruins.

Koga dropped his voice, even though he was sure the guards wouldn’t be able to hear him all the way from here and even if he talked normally. “You guys head back first. I’m gonna go check something.”

Pip nodded. “Don’t get caught, and go to the Deepwerks when you’re done. We’ll head off first. You know the way, right?”

The Lost Hand nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll catch up.” He disappeared to the left, slithering through the trees where he waited for Sha Lin to arrive. He heard the sound of hooves fade as Buck and Pip took their leave first, leaving him alone to wait for the archer.

Sha Lin arrived as expected, having seen and heard the explosion and splitting from Tyra’s group to join Koga. He dismounted, eyeing the billows of smoke visible through the thick layer of trees ahead of them. 

“I didn’t think the explosion would be that big. We heard it all the way. What’s the situation?” The archer asked.

“Guards are swarming the Archives. They’re posted at the gates too. Karne knows it’s a deliberate attack. We can scale the side walls though. They pulled so many guards from their usual posts that there’s likely only one or two on the top walls. You remember how to climb walls, right?” Koga asked in return.

“I sure hope so. Come on, we better get going,” Sha Lin ordered. They headed towards one of the taller walls, Koga easily scaling it with no help but the cracks in the walls for his hands and feet. 

Sha Lin drew two arrows and used them to stab into the smaller cracks, hauling himself up the wall while being careful not to snap the arrows. If the tips were still sharp enough, they could possibly be used to shoot after.

Koga climbed up with ease, having practiced to keep his skills sharp even while he was on the run. He swung himself over the wall, pressing himself low to the ground. He peered over the wall, gesturing to Sha Lin before disappearing before the archer had a chance to look up.

The assassin crept along the wall, locking his eyes on a guard looking outwards onto the river. Koga’s footsteps were as light as feathers, not a sound heard as he crept along, melting with the shadows.

He was invisible right until the moment he was behind the outpost guard, and he remained invisible as his unsheathed the blazing hot claws and lunged forward, the claws spearing the man’s throat. He grabbed the man, covering his mouth and silencing the scream that barely made it out before Koga let go, and the guard collapsed on the ground. Quick, efficient, silent. 

Quickly, Koga picked up the corpse and threw it over the wall, hearing it splash into the river below before running back to where Sha Lin was just hauling himself over the wall. He pulled his friend up, the archer examining the two arrows before tossing one off the wall and putting the other back in his quiver.

“Dispatched a guard,” Koga mentioned, receiving a brief nod from Sha Lin.

“Good. Stay focused on the task though. Since we’re here, may as well do a sweep of the place first. See what intel we can get and how many guards we can wipe. Come on, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

They continued along the wall, killing guards where they had to and leaving no one on the wall, making sure to throw the bodies off the wall to prevent any trace that they had been killed. With the sheer number of guards that had gone to investigate the explosive wreck and stand guard there, anyone who came by the walls would assume that everyone had gone to the Archives. Of course, they wouldn’t be happy, but they wouldn’t suspect a killer. Or two killers.

The stairs going down the castle was located on the other side of the wall, but the two were met with little resistance. Few guards made it past seeing either of them before being introduced to an arrow to the head, or claws through the neck.

“We’ll split up and regroup at the stairs at each level. Check any room that isn’t locked or that you can break into easily without attracting attention,” Sha Lin instructed, “and kill any guard you see. No witnesses.” Koga nodded, before disappearing without a word, running down the other side of the hallway.

The castle remained quiet say for the occasional start of a scream, though the noise never made it far before being silenced for good by either Paladin. Koga killed every guard in sight on his side of the castle before breaking into pretty much every room he saw. If it was locked, all the more he wanted to break in. He had to kill one of the castle maids too, unfortunately, for she made a run for the throne room while screaming for help when she saw him breaking into one of the rooms.

But her cries had gotten out, and footsteps grew in the distance as guards came to investigate the noise. There was no time to get rid of the body, so Koga disappeared into the room he had broken into and locked the door behind him.

He was greeted by what he assumed was the Magistrate’s armoury at first, but as he wandered further from the bolted door, came to realise that this was Karne’s personal little museum of his achievements.

The hall was massive, two rows of armour of great warlords that Karne had killed worn by stands. Each stolen item had a description about it, engraved in marble. Karne clearly spared no effort in making this room glorious to look at.

As he went further, the hall opened up into a circular room. Right in the middle were a set of steps leading to a glass case surrounded by a bigger glass enclosure, where Koga figured was the most prized items. He was drawn to it at first, curious to see what Karne had chosen to display as the centrepiece, but found as he walked closer to the table, the sides of the room had smaller open displays, each with a different theme and colour scheme. There were in total seven rooms on the sides of the circular hall, though only four were occupied.

Koga wandered up to one of them, finding that it contained a massive hologram of someone, a golden plaque with a name and a descriptor inscribed onto it, and the display was themed to something. This one he wandered up to was themed to a war, the walls alight with murals of a chaotic battlefield. In the centre of the display, a person clad in massive armour stood triumphantly, one leg on top of a small pile of skulls. He turned his attention to the golden plaque, which read:

KHAN  
General of the Army to the Ruby Throne and loyal supporter of the Magistrate. Khan led multiple sieges, conquering land for the Magistrate and winning the loyalty of many supporters.   
Koga took everything down mentally before wandering off to the next exhibit. He noticed that the people represented in this hall showed some sort of everlasting loyalty to Karne, judging from the descriptions on their plaques. 

The other three were of a woman named Lian, Scion of House Aico. She was a patron and supporter of the Magistrate, being supplied with weapons in exchange for her many followers, brute army strength, and massive pool of intelligence. Koga had heard of her - she ruled House Aico with an iron fist and was considered a threat to most of the Realm, but few dared to speak her name for her followers were everywhere, and she did not take kindly to learning of someone speaking her name poorly.

Then there was a woman named Vivian, which Koga remembered Barik and Tyra had talked about in their last meeting with the rest of the Paladins. Barik had said something about Vivian being a devil and a murderer, but the plaque did not say much except for her climbing the ranks incredibly fast and becoming the overseer of activities in the Deepwerks.

The last one was of a man named Viktor, who was listed as the Sentinel’s leader and an elite soldier. He was the only one mentioned to work within the Magistrate’s boundaries of Stone Keep, and Koga memorised his face and reminded himself to keep an eye out for this man. He didn’t know what the Sentinels were, but figured he’d find out later.

There was still the centre table. From outside the glass enclosure that kept visitors from going nearer, he could see possibly one of the largest crafted crystals he had ever seen in the Realm. The plaque on the side of the glass enclosure told him it was recorded as the largest, and held immense power. But he had to take a closer look, and went up to the enclosure’s glass door.

Figuring that the glass was rigged to an alarm, he couldn’t just break it open like that. But it had a rather simple password lock, and Koga loved to crack open locks, literally.

Locks like these were all about the password unit, and would fail once broken. Koga always thought traditional locks were more effective than this one, albeit a little more formulae to unlock it.

Unsheathing one set of claws, he jammed it into the lock, the heat melting the wires inside and shutting off the lock. The door swung open with ease without tripping an alarm after that, much to Koga’s delight.

A crystal this size could power the entire continent and the next, Koga figured. He placed a palm on the refined crystal’s smooth surface. Besides its massive size, it was also curious in the way it was not one solid colour, but was swirling with multiple colours. Never before had the Realm seen a multicoloured crystal, and yet one in this size was right here.

There was one more surprise the crystal had given the amount of power it gave off, and Koga quickly learned what it was when the floor under the crystal’s locked space lit up, the light on the floor going from yellow, to orange, to red. The crystal was heated up and activated, the lights across the entire Stone Keep and beyond flickering and shaking as energy surged through them.

For Koga, the sheer amount of magical energy the crystal pulsated with gave him a massive headache. He screeched, feeling the effects of raw power at such close proximity. Only a crystal of such size could do this, or a huge amount of crystals in one area. His knees buckled, dropping to the floor as the pain got worse and worse. He had been so absorbed, he hadn’t heard the guards come in and turn on the exhibit, essentially trapping him. From where they stood across the hall, they were hardly affected.

It was only after Koga passed out that they turned it off and dragged him out.

Sha Lin was waiting by the stairs, going invisible as he heard footsteps. He expected Koga, but there were too many footsteps to be one person. The archer was beyond dismayed to find four guards dragging Koga out, but figured that they’d throw him in the dungeons. And if he just followed them while remaining invisible, that would lead him right to the dungeons too! And if Lazaros was captured, he’d be down there too.

So he did nothing but quietly follow the guards, his presence invisible say for the tiniest shimmer in the air.


	24. Breaking the Ties

The guards dragged Koga to the Grand Magister’s office. In the recent weeks, Karne has ordered all captives to be brought to him immediately instead of being thrown in the dungeon first. He was unsurprised when the guards brought someone in and curious at first, but lost interest in a face he had never seen before.

“Who is this?” Karne asked, eyeing the unconscious white-haired boy.

“No idea, sir. Just found him sneaking about and looking into the rooms. We found him your private museum trying to tamper with the Crystal. Took his weapons and searched the rest of the castle. He appears to be alone, sir,” One of the guards explained.

“Is he with the Paladins?” Karne asked.

“Currently unsure, sir, but there has been no news about a new member."

Karne nodded, losing any interest in the intruder. “Leave his weapons here and throw him in the dungeon. We’ll settle him later. Right now there someone else I have to attend to.”

The guards chorused an agreement, having understood their orders before retreating from the room. One of the guards placed a sealed case on Karne’s desk containing the intruder’s weapons before backing out with the rest of the group. 

Karne had noted a few things about the intruder. One being that he must have been skilled enough to get in, and his weapons would likely say more about him. His other business could wait a couple more minutes.

He stood before his desk, pulling the case closer and unlocking it with his thumbprint. The case beeped softly before unlocking, revealing a pair of submachine guns and oddly, a pair of what looked like flat metal connected with a leather strap. The metal pieces had little protrusions, but Karne didn’t immediately recognise what they were for. Knuckle dusters perhaps, but a very odd design. 

The use of the unknown weapon became obvious when he fit one onto his palm and flicked it. Bright, hot blades appeared from the protrusions, and while the claws themselves were incredibly sharp, he found that flicking them with enough strength caused whips of fire to throw from the claws. It reminded him of one of his temporary allies from the Thousand Hands. Hm.

While he wanted to close back the case and have it sent to the Thousand Hands for any information on the owner of the weapons, he figured the claws would be useful for his next meeting with a friend. Still, he stopped a guard and handed the case with one claw sheathed on his hand.

“Contact the Thousand Hands and get information on the owner of these weapons. Come find me in the dungeon arena when you are done,” He ordered. The guard took the case and nodded, hurrying off to have the Magister’s order fulfilled.

With one of the claws strapped around his palm, he headed down into the dungeons for his next appointment with a certain someone.

The dungeon arena was a massive room deep underground, connected to the dungeons but far lower underground. It was a huge, dark, stone arena where captives usually fought for their lives… and for Karne’s entertainment. There was usually one man and one hungry, deadly beast in the ring. And again, today there was, but not in the usual sense. 

Kneeling and with both hands chained to the wall was Lazaros. Karne remembered his name from their last exchange, and he had so cleverly managed to sneak out with the help of another Paladin. Well, this time there was no help for him.

Karne’s men had found the boy and ambushed him and his griffin while asleep. Knocked the boy right out cold and sedated the griffin enough to bring them both back without leaving a single trace.

But the point wasn’t to pit the boy against his own griffin, no. The griffin would turn on the Magistrate in an instant if let loose at all. Instead, she was a bargaining chip. A hostage.

Karne half expected Lazaros to hiss and snarl curses at him when walking by, but all he got was a dead stare, devoid of all emotion. His face was bruised and a little blood had dried on some cuts and abrasions.

“How hard did you beat him?” Karne asked the guard standing by. “I said to be civil about this.”

The guard’s eyes widened, realising he had made a bit of a mistake. “Uh, just the usual amount, sir?” He replied, unsure.

Karne shook his head. “I only want violence as a last resort. Did you not receive my orders when I told you to bring him in? Leave your weapons and armour here. Guards, take him to the cage,” Karne ordered.

Immediately the guard fell into a sobbing heap, begging and pleading for mercy. Two other guards came up behind the crumbling one and grabbed him, lifting him up. 

Fine. If he wasn’t willingly accepting his punishment for his mistakes, then he would make a good way to test the claws. In one sharp but powerful motion, Karne lashed a fist forward. But it wasn’t the fist that connected with the guard. Instead, scorching claws rammed through the guard’s neck like a hot knife through butter. The guard gurgled as Karne pulled back, gesturing for the two guards holding the dead man to clear the corpse as he admired the power of his new weapon.

“Interesting,” He muttered to himself, before clapping his hands together. “Now, onto business.” He turned to Lazaros, who still had the same, emotionless stare. “Welcome back, Lazaros. I’m sure you had a great time running around outside. How does it feel to be back home?” He asked, receiving no answer. Karne chuckled. “Well, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’ve got questions, you’ve got answers. So let’s do this like civil people.”

Lazaros continued to stare, a hint of defiance gleaming in his eyes. 

Karne was not amused, but continued anyway. “First of all, where are the Paladins?”

The ex-messenger scoffed. “As if you wouldn’t know. You raided our home, remember? Or has age gotten the better of you and the dementia sunken in?”

“You’re smart,” Karne commented idly, “but I know you have moved out. Fine, if you won’t give me a straight answer, we’ll unfortunately switch to something else.” 

Karne was not interested in playing any of Lazaros’s games, and while he had planned to bring out his bargaining chips and wait to show his hand, but delaying had little point when Lazaros was so stubborn.

He flicked a lever on the wall. The room rumbled for a moment as the floor in the center of the room opened up. A second platform rose from the hole in the floor, revealing Athena in a magically protected cage. She shrieked, scrabbling and squawking wildly as she saw Lazaros. He just shook his head at her, and she quietened down.

Karne noticed this. “I see you’ve trained your griffin well. She’s not yours though, is she?” Again, silence. Karne rolled his eyes. “I’m tired of playing games with you, Lazaros. Every time you don’t answer me, your griffin gets it.” He raised his staff, shooting a beam at griffin. The magic bolt passed right through the cage bars, shocking Athena. She screeched, but recovered quickly, even though it tore Lazaros apart to watch.

“So Lazaros, ready to talk?”

 

Sha Lin watched the entire exchange over Koga, stealthily following the guards to the dungeons. The guards had taken everything Koga owned, including his mask, but the invisible archer stole it back on the way. Koga's weapons unfortunately, were gone before he could take them back.

Initially Sha Lin planned to just wait until the guards left, but remembering what Tyra said about killing everyone, shot them all where they stood before they could lock the dungeon cell. None of them had seen their invisible assailant before death, and no one else in the castle knew of him being there.

Taking the main keys to the dungeon from the guards’s bodies and their weapons as well, he locked the heavy door first so he could work uninterrupted.

First things first he had to wake Koga up, and that was easily done when Sha Lin pulled out his water canteen and splashed Koga’s face with it.

The assassin sputtered, wiping water from his face as he woke with a start, cussing Sha Lin out over it. “What the hell was that for?” He growled, flicking water back at the archer.

“I don’t have a lot of time to sit around and wait for you to wake up, princess,” Sha Lin mocked, tossing Koga’s mask into his lap. The Lost Hand immediately turned away to fix his mask back on. He was also tossed a rifle one of the guards had, which Koga studied for a bit. It wasn’t his submachine guns, but it would do. He also didn’t have his Hellkite Claws, which made him very annoyed.

“What happened, by the way?” Sha Lin asked. “How did the guards grab you?”

Koga took a moment to recollect his memories. “There’s a tiny museum or something upstairs. Karne’s got a lot of rare and prized items he displays. Probably got them in sieges or something. But there’s a giant crystal in there too. Almost four metres tall. And apparently a crystal that big exudes so much power that it overloads anyone too close with magical energy and the body shuts down to protect itself.”

Sha Lin took in everything Koga said, making mental notes. “We should bring it up with Barik when we get back. But for now, I’ve found where Lazaros is. And nothing nice is happening. We have to go now.” He offered his hand to Koga, who took it and helped himself up. Armed with whatever weapons they found on the guards, they took off into the dark catacombs under the dungeons that led to the arena.

Lazaros had taken multiple hard hits and wasn’t doing too hot, Athena’s desperate screeching giving him a headache on top of it all. He refused to talk unless absolutely necessary, keeping Karne off from killing Athena and taking the hit whenever he could. But every time he almost drifted off to unconsciousness, Karne would smack him hard and drag him back to reality. Painful, bleeding reality.

He glanced up every so often, eyeing the room for any exits. Already he had given Karne too much information, and would rather have died before he gave any more. But Athena was more at risk here, and he had to keep talking if he wanted to keep her from being killed.

For a moment he swore he saw a flash of red and green further up the walls, but his vision was too blur and himself too tired to focus. He was given a moment to breathe when a guard walked in with a case, reporting straight to Karne.

“What is it?” Karne snarled, annoyed at being interrupted.

“Sir, we have found the owner of the weapon. His name is Koga, former member of the Thousand Hands. He… he is a Paladin,” The guard responded, laying out all the information he had on the table. Karne opened the case again to observe the weapons.

Lazaros snapped to as much attention as he could muster. A Paladin? He didn’t recognise the name, but if… if he could command Athena to track the smell of the Paladin who owned the weapons and get her out of the cage, she could find help.

He took a moment to gather himself, watching as Karne wandered off a little to talk with the guard over a case. He let out a sharp whistle, calling Athena to attention. From the walls where Koga and Sha Lin were carefully scaling across, they took this moment to act.

As Lazaros commanded Athena to act, an iridescent arrow shot into the cage’s magical barrier, shattering it and leaving only plain iron bars keeping Athena in. Sensing the magic protection spell fade, she pried open the bars with her beak and talons.

From the wall right above Karne, Koga fired down, causing a panic. Karne slammed the case shut and unsheathed the one Hellkite Claw he had, facing Koga. The assassin easily gunned down the two guards protecting Karne, firing after the fleeing Magister.

Athena pried the iron bars open as far as she could, forcing herself through the gap and chasing after Karne. She stopped for barely a moment, sniffing Koga and tracking his smell. Finding his smell in the case, she chased after Karne.

Karne didn’t get too far before realising the griffin’s eyes were fixed on the case and he threw it down a hallway while running in a different direction. Athena went after the case, ignoring Karne completely.

Koga caught up with Athena, his shoulders dropping as he realised Karne got away, but his weapons were back with him, even if they were locked up in a case. Barik could probably open it.

They returned to the arena, Athena dashing past Koga as Sha Lin smashed the chains off Lazaros’s wrists. He collapsed into a heap, exhausted and broken.

“Did you get Karne?” Sha Lin asked, snorting in frustration when Koga shook his head. “It’s fine. Right now we need to get Lazaros back and have Ying and Pip have a look at him.”

Koga nodded. “If we leave now, we can make it before they set off and execute the plan. We’ve got a couple more hours. You ride on Athena with Lazaros, I’ll ride our horses.”

With almost no stopping except for a ten minute rest for Koga to switch horses on the way, they made it right as the rest of the Paladins were setting off.

Tyra was delighted to have Koga and Sha Lin back after their unknown disappearance, but wasn’t all to happy about seeing Lazaros slowly bleed his life out.

“Oh dear,” Ying muttered, casting an illusion to stop the initial bleeding and heal as much as she could on the spot. “I’ll stay back to heal him,” She offered, “the rest of you can go ahead.”

Buck offered his help too. “Pip can go with the rest in case anything happens out there. I know a bit of healing too.” Pip showed Buck and Ying where his stash of extra healing potions were too, in case they needed it while he was gone.

Sha Lin reported to Tyra as Buck and Ying carried Lazaros somewhere quiet. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have disappeared like that. But I had to find him.”

Tyra shook her head. “You don’t have to explain to me. You saved him, so that’s alright. Seeing him like this… I can’t imagine what would have happened if you and Koga didn’t look for him. Where was he?”

“Found him in the dungeons in Stone Keep castle. We encountered Karne but didn’t manage to get him.” The archer mentally kicked himself for it.

Tyra sighed. “It’s okay. We’re still going ahead with the plan. You and Koga should stay behind and rest. You guys look like you’ve had a rough time, and we’ll need people to guard anyway.”

Sha Lin accepted, bidding Tyra and the rest good luck before turning back to the clearing as the others headed down to the Deepwerks. As much as he wanted to see if Lazaros was okay, he decided to let the healers work without his intrusion for a bit. Instead, he wandered about the clearing, observing all that had been done in his absence.

A small fire had been recently snuffed out, but Koga knelt by it, relighting it with a flint and steel. There were several flattened areas of ground where the others had sat and slept in the last couple of hours. Athena would normally be rolling about in the grass, but she quietly sat by, staring bleakly at nothing as she waited for Lazaros to come back and say hi. She too, felt that something was off.

The archer decided to try comfort the griffin, who seemed out of it without her master. He sat by her, silently tearing pieces of dried meat from his pack and offering it to her. She would eat, but never took her eyes off the two healers and her master.

Koga joined him after the fire was lit again and a small kettle boiled, offering Sha Lin a cup of tea. Loose tea leaves swirled around inside the cup. They said nothing, quietly drinking, and together they hoped that Valera and Talus were alright out there.


	25. Waking World

In the two days Valera had been in the tiny Ska’Drin village, she already felt immensely welcome. Located offshore from Serpent Beach in their own little island, the Ska’Drin had done incredibly well with their own cycle of resources and giving back to the island.

While at first they were wary of Valera, all Talus had to do was to explain who she was, and she as welcomed like royalty. The Ska’Drin were incredibly selfless, sparing no effort in helping her and Talus recover to full strength after their rough times in the vast ocean. And all the time Makoa watched over them, as part of the rest of the village.

But there was the issue of getting back. “We’d love to stay, but we have to return to the rest of the Paladins eventually,” Valera explained to Makoa. “There is a lot that needs to be done or the Realm.”

Makoa listened carefully and nodded. “I understand. You have given back to the island as much as we gave you when you came here. Perhaps we will spend the next day or so mapping our route and preparing, so that you can leave as soon as possible.”

Valera was delighted to hear Makoa support her decision, and Talus was just as ecstatic! He tugged on Makoa. “Come on, let’s go! No time to waste!” He cried, doing his best to pull the ancient turtle along.

Makoa had shown them around the village already and headed to the docks. While the Ska’Drin were known to be masters of rune magic, shipbuilding was another thing they were excellent at, since they lived surrounded by water. Makoa introduced them to Sengar, the local shipbuilder and cartographer.

“Sengar, I bring guests,” Makoa called out, grabbing the attention of the tall Ska’Drin. The Ska’Drin scrambled from his seat, caught off guard while he was daydreaming. He leapt from his seat in a small booth, framed by two grand ships behind him on the docks. Valera only realised just how tall Sengar was when Valera had to tilt her head back considerably to look at him.

Sengar eagerly shook Valera’s hand and gave Talus a hug before stepping back. “So what might you lot need?” He asked.

“A ship that hopefully I can afford,” Valera replied, noticing just how big the ships on the docks were. They probably cost a fortune, but were built to withstand lots of things and lots of time. They were also built to carry a hundred people at least, and Valera had just herself and Talus.

Sengar’s grin widened. “Well, ya came to the right place!” He proudly announced. “I make ships for a living! So where are you going? How many people?”

Valera scratched the back of her head. “All the way back to Crosswind Hold. And uh…. two people,” She muttered, eyeing Talus. 

“Small crew, huh?” Sengar mused. “I’ve got a couple of smaller boats but they won’t last all the way to Crosswind Hold, especially because you’ll be crossing the deep ocean. I definitely got ships that will go to Crosswind Hold and beyond, but that’s gonna come at a price.”

Valera figured she could eventually use the ship again, and a bigger one that could actually reach Crosswind Hold would be worth it. “Show me,” She stated, earning a wide grin from Sengar.

Sengar led them down a port where various ships were waiting. Some were being used, crates being hauled up and down, while others just floated patiently on the shimmering waters. Some were massive merchant ships, others warships, and some for sport and racing. Sengar showed them many different ships that would suit their needs, but none of the others mattered when met with a yacht.

Sengar had multiple yachts, but one in particular made of polished wood and powerful sails. She was designed for speed, endurance, and had enough space for some supplies. And best of all, it only needed a small crew.

“How much would this be?” Valera asked, her eyes fixated on the yacht. 

Sengar grinned once more. “Aha, now this beauty is four thousand gold. Pricey, but she packs a lot more than you see. I’ll take crystals as well, of course.”

Four thousand was a lot, and Valera did not have that much, especially because she needed to buy supplies as well, but Makoa stepped in to help.

“Sengar, perhaps you can do a favour for someone who has saved the Realm once already, and is doing it again,” Makoa mentioned casually. Sengar was also met with Talus’s pleading eyes. He caved in.

“Fine, you can have her for free, but only once, as my thanks for saving the Realm. But you have to keep her in good condition, okay? That’s all I’m asking for,” Sengar stated, offering his hand to seal the deal.

Valera smiled, shaking the offered hand firmly. “Deal.”

Sengar and the crew parted ways, Sengar preparing the yacht for travel while Makoa, Talus and Valera prepared for the journey home. There was a lot to do, mostly involving getting supplies, but Valera refused to be led astray again by anything. She and Talus were going home, and that was that.

Throughout the next day they prepared, dealing with the Ska’Drin to get supplies and loading crates onto the yacht. Valera and Talus had the chance to familiarise themselves with their new yacht, which Sengar had named proudly. The yacht's name was Crystal Shard for her sleek and sharp design, much like a shard of a crystal.

Talus spent the day mapping their travels and preparing everything they might need for navigations, while Valera packed supplies. The Ska'Drin were incredibly generous and insisted Valera take what they could offer as part of their thanks and well wishes for the long journey ahead. With this much, Valera was positive they had enough to last the trip back and still have lots of extras to bring to the Paladins. In addition to basic supplies, one leatherworker who overheard Valera and Talus talking about their friend having a tamed griffin crafted a beautiful new saddle with empty packs for supplies installed. It was cleverly made to distribute weight of the supplies evenly across the griffin's pack without hindering flight or movement. Valera figured Lazaros would be delighted to have it.

The last of the supplies were being loaded onto the ship by sunset of the third day on the island. While Talus bid his goodbyes once more and hugged everyone, Valera took some last minute advice from Sengar about sailing efficiently.

"Stay away from any heavy and dark clouds. She can ride in rain no problem, but a storm is another thing. She'll handle choppy waters well but the cargo might not do so well,"Sengar mentioned.

Valera couldn't help but be reminded of the choppy, suffocating water. The raging storm and flashes of lightning that illuminated the crushing waves. The terror that she could die or worse, that her friends could.

Sengar noticed the elf had stared off into blank space, worry written on her face. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You'll be alright," He reassured.

She came back to reality, trying to shake off the horrid memories. "Yeah," She muttered, "I do hope so."

Makoa came up beside her. "I will make sure you will have a safe journey. It is a long way to Crosswind Hold, and I can swim by you and guide you," The Ancient offered.

Valera was delighted to have any assistance. "Really?" She asked.

Makoa nodded. "It is the least I can do. And if you find my skills of use, perhaps I can stay a little longer to aid in your course."

Valera was more than happy to accept. What position was she in to turn down a potential new Paladin, and what more someone who was a master of the ocean?

Talus was even more elated to have Makoa come along. He leapt onto the great turtle's back, whooping with delight to have someone else join. Talus started rattling off about the rest of the Paladins, telling Makoa how great everyone was. 

They left as soon as they could, hoping to get back to Crosswind Hold soon. As the rope tying the Crystal Shard to the dock of the island of the Ska’Drin was undone and tossed out after the departing boat, the residents of the island came to call out their goodbyes.

Talus sat at the wheel of the ship, Makoa swimming in the golden waters below, as Valera looked out onto the shrinking island behind them. Even after the island was gone from the view and the stars ahead twinkled in the navy sky, she could almost hear them calling after them, wishing them luck.

Seeing clear skies ahead and the calm flow of water as Makoa swam next to them, Valera had a good feeling about the future.

 

Valera, Talus and Makoa returned to Crosswind Hold with little problems. The yacht proved to be strong and steadfast, determined to do the one purpose of its creation. It glided on smooth waters and ripped through choppier ones, all the while Makoa swimming by it to direct the ship away from stray winds that could take the ship off course.

In the day during smooth sailing, the two of them napped. With Makoa guiding the ship from below, at times they didn’t even need to personally steer the ship.

At night, Talus mapped the stars and did all the navigational work as Makoa had never been to Crosswind Hold before. They experienced a light rain at some point, which Valera had been concerned would turn into a storm, but they passed through it without incident except getting a little wet.

By sunset on the third day of sailing, Crosswind Hold came into sight as a little island on the horizon. Talus leapt up from his little nest in the tarp covering the crates of supplies, eyeing the island ahead of them.

“Hey! That’s Crosswind Hold!” She called out. From the wheel, Valera glanced back at him and nodded excitedly, delighted to be home, and from the water Makoa surfaced.

“Is that it?” The Ancient One asked. “We can get there in a few more hours. Is there a dock?”

Talus rushed to the bow of the yacht, grabbing a telescope with him. He climbed past Valera, clinging expertly to the bow and observing the coast of the island.

He scanned the coast, ignoring Valera’s calls to be careful as he was just hanging right above the water. He found a small settlement on a coast and yes, there was a dock! 

Folding back the telescope and climbing back onto the boat, he leaned over the side to Makoa. “Dock to the southeast! Looks empty though. But there aren’t any others on the coast.”

“I guess we can head there,” Valera mentioned, "doesn't look like we have a better option." She turned the steering wheel, feeling the boat below her shift smoothly with the tides following, carrying them towards the empty looking docks. Hopefully wherever that was, it was close to the Empire or somewhere recognisable.

 

Tyra led her team quietly, snaking through the maze of tunnels underground that led all through the Deepwerks.

Valera, Lazaros and Ying had gone through these tunnels before and would know them a bit better. But none of them were here now. Valera was still missing, Lazaros out of combat and Ying staying behind to heal the former.

Tyra shook her head. It was such a huge mess. She didn't doubt her own leadership skills, but she would have liked to have Sha Lin here at least, but he too wasn't here. And the rest of the Paladins with her were counting on her.

At least Barik was with her, and he had a map of the caves which made everything a lot easier.

The plan was well into execution. Barik and herself were in search of Vivian, the overseer of security in the Deepwerks. She had to be taken out first if they wanted to release the trapped workers.

Cassie, Pip and Inara were sent to locate where the workers were held. Most were likely in the work halls deprived of sleep and forced to work, but they expected some to be in the sleeping areas.

In Tyra’s hands was a schedule of the guard rotation - not that she really needed it. She was perfectly fine with killing any guards they came across until they found that Vivian person.

Vivian was the head of Deepwerks, having worked her way up from being a no one to one of the Magistrate’s most trusted people. She oversaw the security of the Deepwerks, ensuring the workers did what they were told. She was a brute, at best. At worst, a tyrant, forcing the workers at the Deepwerks to create endless weapons for the Magistrate’s cruel uses.

Tyra was determined to make sure this Vivian person never stepped foot out of the facility ever again. With Barik by her side to help her recognise who they were looking for and a couple of his turrets ready to be deployed, she was sure they could succeed.

A small voice crackled over her communication device. “Cassie here. I’ve found one of the work halls filled with workers. Waiting for your instruction.”

Another voice came on too, barely heard in the quiet network of caves. “Found another hall,” Pip’s voice crackled, “south of the facility.”

Tyra nodded to no one in particular. “Good,” She responded, “wait until Inara reports. I’m still looking for Vivian.”

Barik led her through the maze of tunnels until they reached an end, a simple metal ladder leading up to a manhole cover. They shared a look, double-checking their weapons before Tyra began to climb up followed by Barik.

Ever so slightly Tyra pushed the manhole cover up, peering through the tiny crack. She scanned the surroundings, finding it all clear before pushing aside the heavy metal cover and crawling out.

They appeared out in the locker room, where they found a few worker dwarves. They stared at her for a second before cowering in fear, begging for Tyra not to kill them for coming to get a drink of water.

Tyra scanned the rest of the room, finding only herself, Barik, and the other workers there. She lowered her gun, understanding how bad the situation was here when they still didn’t stop shaking.

“Don’t worry guys, we’re here to free the workers. Not shoot you,” Tyra mentioned.

One of the dwarven workers stared at Barik in wonder. “It’s you!” He exclaimed in a hushed voice, “You’re the one that escaped and lived!”

Barik couldn’t help but relish in the moment. Few times was he regarded so grandly, and he was not passing up this chance to impress. “Well I mean, ya gotta have a real pair of steel to just skedaddle like that. But that’s not what we’re ‘ere for aye? We’re ‘ere to bust ya out.”

A short ripple of murmurs floated from the group of dwarves, before Tyra cut in. "Do you know where Vivian is now?” 

The dwarves pondered among themselves, before one grey-bearded one piped up. “Aye, sh’ just left th’ south wing. Maybe another hour before sh’ comes back around.”

Barik could roughly get an idea of where Vivian would be, assuming that she took the same route she took every day. There wasn’t any reason for her to change her route, so Barik nudged Tyra and pitched his prediction to her.

“If we’re fast, we can catch her right by the storage. Maybe pick up some weapons too while we’re there. Reckon we might need a lot more firepower where we’re going,” Barik stated.

Tyra slowly nodded, taking some time to mull over the idea when the three workers stepped forward, fear mixed with determination burning in their eyes. “Whatever we can do for ye, we’ll do it. We can go back to th’ workshop and tell the others to prepare for a distraction. Lure that woman outta the shadows and ye can shoot ‘er in the back,” The grey-bearded dwarf offered.

“Are you sure?” Tyra asked, “You don’t have to do this.”

The greying dwarf waved her off. “I’ve lived long enough. And if it means a better future for the rest of the Realm, then ye got us on yer side. Whaddya say, lads?” The other two dwarves nodded, agreeing to give the chance at freedom their all.

Tyra and Barik eyed them for a moment, before the former nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

 

Koga had fallen asleep against the plush wall of feathers that was Athena, absorbed in a dream of running on the rooftops of endless cities, climbing cobble walls and feet propelling him in light rhythm.

But something pushed him suddenly, and he was falling off the wall, the precarious balance tipped. He woke with a start, accidentally kicking someone by him.

Sha Lin gasped and hissed as Koga’s leg smacked right into his side, both of them effectively waking Athena up in the process. Athena squawked in displeasure at having been woken up, before shifting a little and setting her head back down on the flattened ground below her.

“What was that for?” Sha Lin asked, rubbing his side for a bit before rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Koga shifted away a little to prevent further accidental kicks. “Sorry,” He muttered, “just a dream is all.”

The archer shoved Koga aside further before getting up, stretching and feeling a few bones pop after being stiff for so long. For a moment he stared into the dark forest, before suddenly remembering something.

“Shoot,” He muttered, hurrying off to the small overhang to check on Lazaros. Ying looked up in mild surprise as the archer showed up.

“Is he okay?” Sha Lin asked, gritting his teeth in the hopes that Lazaros wasn’t… well, dead.

Ying smiled at him softly. “He’s fine,” She mentioned, “just worn out now.”

Sha Lin let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, eyeing the young man. Only a few tough scars were left behind, but he otherwise looked fine beyond being tired. He noticed a small pile of empty potion bottles lying scattered on the ground and it struck him how bad things could have been. They already lost a Paladin in the past, and he was not ready to lose one more. Thank goodness for the skilled healers they had.

He sat down next to the sleeping Lazaros, resting his chin on his palm. “Why don’t you go rest?” He asked Ying, “I’ll look after him for awhile.”

“Are you sure? You still look tired. I don’t mind staying here,” Ying mentioned in return.

Sha Lin shook his head. “It’s fine, I can manage. You’ve done more than we deserve already.”

Ying watched him for a moment more before gracefully rising to her feet. “Okay, but if you need anything just call me, okay?” She was satisfied enough with the nod in response that the desert archer gave her, for she took off quietly to join Koga outside.

It was a quiet few minutes before Athena poked her head around the corner and crept in, her wide frame pushing aside branches and bushes. She looked tired too, not having rested very well without the reassurance that her best friend was okay.

Sha Lin said nothing as Athena carefully circled Lazaros for a bit before lying down and extending one wing to shield him. He was ready to drift off to sleep too when Athena quietly squawked at him and raised her wing, poking the ground next to Lazaros in an invitation for him to sit with them.

With a soft sigh, he picked himself up and joined Lazaros and Athena. She waited for him to settle before lowering her wing again, blocking out the world around them. Down here, they were safe, and Athena had every intention of keeping it that way until Lazaros returned to her in the waking world.


	26. The First Link

It all happened so fast. Within minutes, the two dwarves had returned to the workshop and resumed their work as per normal, spreading the message as secretly and quickly as possible that a revolution was about to begin. They urged the other workers to play it cool and act normal and wait for a signal, until they realised that Tyra and Barik hadn’t actually mentioned anything about a signal.

The workshop grew tense as the dwarves waited, unable to concentrate on their work and instead, slowing down. They seemed to almost still, always on the lookout for the signal they were expecting. 

It all went to hell in a second when a pair of guards came in to check on why the workshop had gone still instead of the usual hushed buzz. In a rush of uncertainty and split second decisions, the dwarves roared and charged, launching the whole hall into a frenzy.

Some of them made a run for it, leaping over tables and dashing out of the doors and straight for the exit in a mad dash for freedom. Others unsure of what to do, ducked under their workbenches as the guards opened fire, but they were no match for a hundred angry workers who were steeled through years of hard labour. It was like one bear against a pack of wolves, and the guards were brought down fast.

The sudden uproar alerted other guards who were rushing to the scene, and Tyra and Barik would have been caught had it not been for Barik quickly shoving Tyra into a dark corner and the two of them hiding there until the stampede of guards passed by.

“What’s going on? Have they already started?” Tyra hissed, staring after the rampage of guard rushing to the work hall.

Barik nudged her back in the direction they were going in the hunt for Vivian. “We gotta stay on track. Open up the other halls on the way, aye? Free as many of them as possible while we can and hunt that devil woman down.”

They ran off towards the other halls, guns at the ready to gun down any guards who tried to stop them. They made it to the west work hall, throwing open the doors. The hall stopped their work, freezing up and noticed a few of them shoving aside their personal projects for fear of being found.

Tyra barked orders for workers to escape and shoot any guard they found while Barik kept watch outside in case Vivian or any guards came by. A swarm of panicking workers pushed past, some fleeing the Deepwerks immediately with their most precious items, while others brandished guns and tools heavy enough to split a man’s skull open and willing to fight off the guards.

Tyra’s group had grown considerably with men and women willing to help her and Barik out, and they rampaged through the halls, heading to the south wing to open the halls and free more enslaved workers.

It didn’t go as well however, as a group of ten guards had gone the other way to round on them. Tyra wasted no time in raising her gun, gunning down the first three in the front while the others raised their shields to protect themselves from the onslaught of bullets. 

Hundreds of bullets were fired, mostly from the Paladins’s side, but when the dust cleared, a lithe woman with short hair and a vicious gun stepped out from the smoke.

“Vivian,” Barik spat, the name like acid on his tongue.

Tyra immediately raised her gun and fired, expecting the fight to be over in an instant for Vivian didn’t react, but a shield popped out from the tip of her weapon, protecting her from the bullets.

“Trying to free the Deepwerks, Barik? The rebel worker everyone praised and talked about for your heroic actions?” Vivian hissed, returning fire. Tyra dodged to the side, Barik placing down a shield and a turret to protect the workers behind him. 

More bullets were exchanged, none of which landed their mark. With no time to reload lest the pressuring rain of bullets broke down Barik’s shield, Tyra unclipped the fire bomb from her belt and threw it right at Vivian. 

The vile woman sidestepped it easily, but the fire in a narrow hall had blocked either of them off. Vivian couldn’t cross it, but neither could Tyra or Barik. So Vivian turned, and ran off in the other direction to lose them.

“Damnit!” Tyra cursed. She didn’t have much time but the fire wasn’t going to burn out any time soon, but she didn’t want to lose Vivian. Steeling herself, she ran through it, shouting behind her for Barik to try round on Vivian and corner her.

Tyra’s feet rhythmically hit the ground, powering her through the maze of the Deepwerks. When she though she had lost Vivian, a bullet pinged on the floor next to her and she looked up, seeing Vivian on the walkway on the high levels. Tyra could only return fire, and find the nearest stairs to rush after her.

Every time Tyra got up one level, Vivian seemed to make it up two, keeping a distance between the two of them at all times. Sure, Tyra could fire from here, but accuracy at this range was incredibly low and she would be wasting bullets if anything.

Tyra just kept running, keeping a steady pace and herself controlled to maximise her energy, never sprinting until she was sure she could catch Vivian.

When Tyra finally got onto the final level, barely even panting, she was faced with a single narrow walkway, Vivian on the other end, a sharp, five level drop on one side and a rock wall on the other. There was nowhere else to go. 

Both of them had their guns raised, staring each other down into madness, but neither of them firing a bullet.

“Well?” Tyra demanded, “Anything to say? I’ve got you cornered now and there’s nowhere to go.”

Vivian laughed, a cruel cackle if anything. “You’ve got me cornered? I think you’ve got it all wrong, darling.” A wicked smile crept onto her face, and she summoned two round sentinels. There was a second’s moment of nothing, before Vivian fired, and the sentinels did too.

Tyra dashed back onto the stairwell, but not before a few bullets clipped her cowl and one grazed her shoulder. The moment of hot, white pain was numbed by adrenaline, but she could hear Vivian advancing with footsteps clanking against the metal railing.

Tyra only had one way to go, and that was down, but in her hurried dash, she almost ran into a giant, walking rock. Tyra looked up at the blackened stagalla, her breath hitching in her throat.

“Terminus!” Tyra was delighted to see him, but he only stared at her with a cold, dead gaze. Her eyes slowly travelled across the crack marks in the stagalla’s rocky flesh, to an orb latched in a crater. That came from the battle in the town, when he first died. How was he back?

Terminus showed no signs of friendliness, raising his massacre axe to smash down on Tyra. She backed up. “Terminus, it’s me! Tyra! You’re a Paladin, remember?” She shouted, hoping to remind Terminus of who he was. Behind her, Vivian appeared, trapping Tyra between Terminus and Vivian.

With nowhere else to go, Tyra leapt over the railing as the giant axe slammed down, rocking the entire metal stairwell. She half expected Terminus to follow, but his eyes had locked on Vivian.

“You failed the Magistrate,” Terminus growled.

“What, are you his new bootlicker?” Vivian retorted. Her fearlessness wavered for a moment as the undead stagalla took a step towards her.

“The workers are gone. He has given his command. Remove useless assets.”

Vivian continued to protest, to no avail. Terminus followed her up the stairs until they were back on the narrow railing. Vivian was backed up with nowhere to go. She fired at him, but bullets only made him angrier.

Tyra couldn’t help but follow. Had Terminus really come back?

“The Magistrate commands,” Terminus growled, “I eradicate.”

The axe smashed down, and the first link in the Magistrate’s chain of command was broken. Tyra swallowed, not quite realising how gorey a smashed person looked. “Oh, Terminus. I’m so glad you came back! Where have you been? How are you…” She trailed off as Terminus towered over her, and she realised he wasn’t friendly at all.

At that moment, it hit Tyra. Everything Terminus had said and why he killed Vivian, it all fell into place like a horrid puzzle she never wanted to finish. The night Terminus as a Paladin died, was the night his body disappeared without a trace. The Magistrate had taken him, and Karne knew a thing or two about resurrection magic as long as the pieces were all there. He had fixed back Terminus and placed him under his own command.

When Vivian failed to secure the Deepwerks, she had failed her job and Terminus was sent to remove her from the Magistrate's ranks. Terminus hadn't killed Vivian because he wanted to protect Tyra; he was just following orders.

And that was when Tyra made a run for it. She ran back to Barik as fast as her legs would carry her, panting when she got back. Barik had gathered the rest of the Paladins already, awaiting her command.

"Get out..." Tyra panted, doubling over. Blood leaked from her shoulder, warm and steady, and it did nothing to help the situation. "Terminus... he's working for the Magistrate... killed Vivian.."

Barik nodded firmly. "We'll get the rest of the workers out." He turned to the rest of the Paladins, issuing them their orders. 

"Cassie, Buck, Pip, you're the fastest we got. Round up the workers and bring them to the gates. Inara and I will keep them open. Tyra, keep Terminus away if you can. Where did you last see him?" Barik asked. 

"Stairwell to the south. We have maybe ten minutes before he gets here," Tyra replied, regaining her strength.

Barik nodded. "More than enough time. We can get to the-" 

The mechanic was cut off as part of the wall to their left broke down, Terminus storming through. Ten minutes was now ten seconds, and the Paladins immediately turned and ran for their lives.

"Go!" Pip shouted, launching the remaining workers into action. They sprinted for the gates, Cassie shooting the control box to shut the gate. If they could get out before Terminus did, the monstrous stagalla would be shut in by a tonne of metal.

The Paladins were fast, but the workers couldn't match their speed and were left behind. As the Paladins got outside, they heard shouting as the workers begged them to hold on.

"Gather the horses and prepare to move!" Inara ordered, "I will get them out." She raised a stone wall under the closing gate, holding it open for the workers. The stone wall was cracking under the pressure however, and the workers only had a few seconds to get through before the gate slammed shut.

The workers were too far behind however, and a few seconds wasn't enough. Inara, seeing no other option, wedged herself under the gate, using all her strength to keep it open.

Terminus was closing in on the workers, falling back a little when he tried to swing his bloodstained axe. The workers one by one slid under the wall, helping each other through before Inara let go and stepped out, the gate slamming shut with a bang.

The group didn't stop now, not knowing if anyone was following, and ran for the trees where the horses were waiting. They wasted no time in saddling up, the workers sharing horses with others, and heading back to the clearing where Sha Lin, Koga, Lazaros, and Athena were waiting for them.

 

The sun was just rising as Valera, Talus, and Makoa reached Sun Spire from the abandoned docks of Timber Mill. The mill was uneventful, finding little of interest there and instead making a quick journey to Sun Spire. After that, it was a fast route home to the village on the edge of the Empire, but they found no Paladin there. Not even Sera was in the village, but Valera knew how to summon her.

Sera had taught all the Paladins a quick incantation to summon her if she was ever needed. It was a simple phrase in the Seraph language, and the elderly woman appeared before Valera when she heard the incantation.

"You're back!" Sera grinned in delight, "I was so worried about you, dear. Where have you been?"

Valera hugged the seraph, unable to contain her joy at returning. "We got lost at sea, but Talus found his home and Makoa brought us back safely. Where are the rest?" 

"They went out to destroy the Magistrate's archives and the Deepwerks. You know, they thought you were dead. I'd return your sword, but Lazaros ran off with it. I don't know where he is," Sera explained, "but I have a feeling they'll all be back soon. Why don't you sit down while and let me make you something to eat? And you can introduce me to your new friends."

Valera nodded, letting Sera bring Talus, Makoa, and herself into the tower. The village didn't feel right without the other Paladins, so she hoped they'd come back soon. 

Valera napped after breakfast, but didn't sleep too well, wondering where her friends were and if they were okay. Too many times they were separated, and around midday she gave up on trying to sleep and instead decided to help Sera with some household duties.

Talus was climbing trees to help one of the villagers pick apples right off the top of the tree where even ladders were too short to reach, and Makoa fed some fishes in a nearby pond.

Valera helped Sera to wash the saltwater out of their clothes, mostly her own clothes, and scrubbed off her armour to have it polished and shiny. She mindlessly worked, trying to focus on the task, until she got absorbed into her work that she didn't notice Talus launch off of the tree in excitement over something.

"Guys!" Talus yelped in excitement as the Paladins returned through the woods, messy, dirty, and bloody, but victorious. "You're back!" 

Valera's ears perked up, and she turned around as Tyra assaulted her with a hug.

"You're safe! Thank goodness, we thought you two were dead!" Tyra greeted, hugging Talus as well. 

There was a lot of hugging and words of delight exchanged for the safe return of everyone. Lazaros released Athena's saddle, taking Talus's necklace off his neck and producing Valera's sword still wrapped up in a thick cloth.

Valera noticed a couple new scars on Lazaros, but they all had some scars. And there was someone new as well, a man with a mask and white hair. 

"Who's this?" Valera asked.

Sha Lin stepped forward. "Koga. We knew each other way back. He's a Paladin."

Valera nodded. "Good to meet you, Koga. I'm Valera, this is Talus and Makoa." She introduced Talus to Koga, and Makoa to everyone.

It felt good to be back as a team. "I think this calls for a celebration tonight. It's been awhile and I hear the Magistrate's archives has been destroyed and the Deepwerks freed. We're making huge progress abd deserve a celebration."

 

That night, the Paladins, including Sera sat in the meeting room at the tower. They didn't have anything too fancy, just some cider distilled from the apples picked earlier that day, and a variety of roast meats. They chatted, discussed what had been happening lately, and lighthearted conversations floated all around. Tyra decided to take a stand.

"I propose a toast," She started, "to the endless courage of us all to keep fighting for what the Realm deserves."

Talus decided to join in, jumping up and raising his glass. He had apple juice instead of cider. "To justice and fairness to all!" He added in with spirit.

Cassie stood too raising her glass, "To bravery, and doing what we must no matter what," She added.

"To the ones we lost along the way," Inara chimed in, remembering Terminus.

"And the ones we gained," Sha Lin mentioned as he stood, eyes sweeping the table at all who had come after him.

Lazaros joined in with his glass. "To our friends," He chimed in.

"And family," Koga added.

One by one, the Paladins stood and added in their toast. To strength, determination, to devoting their lives for a better tomorrow. Only Valera hadn't said anything, and all eyes were on her to join them as their leader, and friend.

She smiled, finally standing to join the rest. She decided on what she wanted to toast to, before raising her glass as well.

"To the Paladins."

All at once, their glasses clinked against each other, and a harmonious "cheers!" floated through the night, as they tipped their glasses for a brighter future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry, Vivian mains.


	27. The Angel of Vengeance

Grand Magister Karne was absolutely furious. How the hell had one ragtag group without a leader or part of their ranks managed to blow up his archives and release all the Deepwerks?

He partially blamed it on Vivian for not being able to secure the Deepwerks, but she had received her punishment for failure to maintain security. Karne had no time for failures, not in such a crucial time when the ranks of the Paladins grew and his, shrinking.

Alright, so one part of his chain of command was gone. He still had Commander Khan and Scion Lian of House Aico, former Sentinel leader Viktor, and former Sentinel sniper Strix. There was also the Thousand Hands if he wanted to pay their exorbitant fees, but lately the leader Zhin had disappeared to do his own business and many of Karne’s letters were ignored or responded with vague answers.

What other allies did he have? He thought about it long and hard, considering all his options. Besides House Aico and the former Sentinels, he had little else. And now that the Deepwerks and his archives were destroyed, he had fallen a few steps behind the Paladins.

He kept a book of contacts on his table, and now was a good time to consult it. Sitting down at his desk, Karne pulled the book in front of him and flipped through it, running a finger over the names as he went along.

There were a few mercenaries here and there, good, but not what he needed for this job. He needed someone truly capable.

His hand stopped. Of course, he had one very powerful piece. The Outer Tribunal! Why hadn't he thought of them? They were a group of strong, law-obsessed murderers, and for some reason he hadn't thought of them until now.

Karne summoned a servant to fetch him a messenger pigeon, knowing who to look for already. The Outer Tribunal had no leader, but Karne new an incredibly devoted, incredibly dangerous member amongst them who would be the perfect for the job.

Quickly writing his letter and slotting it into the scroll pack of the pigeon, he sent the servant to send the flying messenger on its way, to a man of the Outer Tribunal named Lex.

 

Days had gone since the reunion of all the Paladins in one place, but the joy did not last long as a messenger from the Empire rode in frantically, sweating all over from the ride. Even his horse was jittery, and the Paladins immediately knew something was up.

"Paladins, please. You're all needed at the palace immediately. It's urgent," The messenger requested, wiping off beads of sweat with the back of his palm.

Koga had been the one to greet the messenger, and he nodded sharply. "Got it. I'll summon the rest. We'll be there," He replied, dismissing the messenger to return while he rallied the rest of the Paladins.

The few in the Resistance's courtyard looked up, awaiting their instructions. Koga jabbed a thumb in the direction the messenger had gone. "Trouble," Koga muttered, "we're all summoned to the palace."

Those outside nodded, running off to find the rest of the Paladins while the stable boy prepared their horses. As soon as they gathered, they immediately took off for the Empire.

They were greeted not with the typical bustle and chatter of the Empire that usually made it seem so alive and normal. Instead, the nighttime streets were quiet and deserted, not a sign of life to be seen except the groups of guards marching by.

"Jeez, what happened?" Valera asked to no one in particular as she guided her horse through the empty streets. Without the usual crowd, there was more than enough space to get through freely. It felt very strange, not having to squeeze through people all the time.

They expected to meet the late king's advisor, who was the one they usually talked to for any matters involving the Empire, and given that it was urgent and an issue that required all the Paladins to be there, it usually went straight to the next in command after the king.

However, they were greeted by someone else - the Captain of the Royal Guard. He was a big man, towering over even Inara and bigger than Terminus. Valera figured he could swat all of them out like flies with ease.

"Greetings, Paladins," He boomed, "I apologise for having to summon all of you, but it really is quite urgent."

"Where's the King's Advisor?" Tyra asked.

The Captain sighed. "That is part of the reason why I called you. Royal Advisor Alastor has gone missing, and the Thousand Hands have him, and several other nobles and common folk. They stormed the east wall and are currently holding them hostage."

"Why didn't you warn us earlier?" Sha Lin piped up this time, a deep scowl formed on his face at the thought of the Thousand Hands. Koga was frowning too, more so than usual.

"We thought he could handle them on our own but... they've proven to be stronger than we imagined, and in much greater numbers," the Captain replied solemnly, "You have someone who'd like to meet you too." 

The Captain stepped aside to reveal a woman with wings, and a runic blade in one hand. She also had a blonde lock of hair that cascaded from her chestnut hair, which was very odd.

"Koga and I will handle the situation with the Thousand Hands. The rest of you can talk to that woman," Sha Lin prompted, "Come on Koga. Let's go talk to an old friend."

The two of them disappeared from the palace, accompanied by a few palace guards who would take them to the where the Thousand Hands had taken over. That left the rest of the Paladins to speak to the winged woman.

She approached the rest of the Paladins, eyeing as the archer and his white-haired friend left before returning her attention to the remainding warriors. "I am Furia, Angel of Vengeance," She introduced, her gaze sweeping over all until she stopped on Valera. "I take it you are the legendary Valera?" 

Valera nodded. "Yes. What do you need from us?" She asked Furia.

"I understand that you are on a quest to stop the Magistrate. I am on my own quest to stop the Abyss. I know some of you have seen a town called Seris," She said, eyeing Valera, Ying, and Lazaros.

"And that is our business because...?" Valera prompted.

Furia returned her sharp gaze to the elf. "That is your business because the Magistrate was responsible for releasing the Abyss to the Realm. When it first appeared in the town of Seris, it hungered. Karne thought that a sacrifice could appease it and bring it under his control."

Valera rolled her eyes. It was so like him to be so power hungry. 

Furia continued. "He chose my sister, casting her to a fate worse than death. The Abyss however, continued to hunger. One person after another were sacrificed in the hope that Karne could control it, but eventually they realised what they had done and left. My sister returned from the Abyss, and when she left the Abyssal plane and into the mortal one, she destroyed everything. She calls herself after our hometown, Seris. And she is coming to destroy you all too."

"If Karne was involved..." Valera thought about it. If the Abyss was going to get in their way and cause trouble for the Realm, wouldn't it be better to get rid of it? "We can't just devote everyone for your cause. We'll do it, on one condition."

Furia eyed Valera evenly. "Name it."

"Help us kill any Magistrate soldiers you see on the way."

Furia smiled. It was a simple request, and one she had little problem doing. She extended her hand to Valera. "Deal."

 

Escorted by a small group of guards to take them to where the Thousand Hands had taken over, Sha Lin and Koga sat on their horses, eyeing the burning mess below the sandy dunes.

The Thousand Hands had walled themselves off efficiently, bandits and armed outcasts who had found family in the Thousand Hands patrolling the area.

There was some shouting, and one of the patrolling guild members must have seen the two ex-members watching them, for he ran back into one of the houses. There was silence for a moment, before the warlord and tyrant leader of the guild appeared.

In one hand Zhin carried his sword, unlit but gleaming as the polished surface reflected the glowing flames around him. In his other hand, in a powerful headlock, was a common citizen of the Empire that had been taken hostage.

Zhin glared up at them, a scowl burned into his expression. "Look who came back," He called out to the archer and the assassin, "both my lost sheep. Finally found your way home, I see."

Koga wanted to say something, but Sha Lin placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. "Let him speak. See if we can find out how many hostages he has," the archer growled.

Zhin continued to stare them down. "What? Nothing to say?" He asked, maliciousness gleamimg in his eyes. After more silence, he flicked his sword. The crystal embedded into the hilt lit up, the sword coming to life in a blaze. He held it against the hostage's neck, close enough for him to feel the flames.

This time, it was Sha Lin who acted. In one fluid motion, he raised his bow, drew an arrow, nocked it, and drew it back at full force, sending the arrow flying in barely a second after even lifting his bow.

Zhin acted too, twisting his sword to block the arrow. The arrow smashed into his sword, pushing it back and sending the sharp edge of the blade ripping into the hostage's neck.

"No!" Sha Lin shouted, but it was too late. Blood leaked from the hostage's neck, almost black in the dim light. Hot, thick blood sprayed when Zhin yanked the sword out, letting the victim fall to the ground.

Koga's eyes were wide. He had known the archer for long, and never until now had someone innocent become collateral damage. That was it - the legendary archer had killed an innocent person.

Infuriated by Zhin and himself, Sha Lin let another torrent of arrows fly down at the Thousand Hands, string of curses and shouting flying. Koga twisted and grabbed the archer's scarf, dragging him down into cover as their enemies began to fire back. 

"Damnit you, get down here," Koga hissed as he yanked Sha Lin back into cover. "Forget about it, okay? You didn't mean to," He growled, not wanting to talk about what had just happened.

"Fuck, I shouldn't have fired! Damnit, that blood's on my hands! How the hell am I going to tell Valera?" Sha Lin snapped.

Koga scowled. "You're not. Some things just aren't talked about. What happened here tonight, stays here. Okay?"

Sha Lin was staring at something unseen, unable to stop thinking about what he had just done until Koga shook him. "What? Okay, okay! I won't talk about it, but this is going to haunt me. Damnit," He continued to curse, but was interrupted when bullets began to chip away at the rock they were hiding behind.

They were ready to book it, but Zhin wasn't done so easily. He knew that his ex-best friend hated nothing more than his failures being rubbed in, and the dead body on the ground was a great, obvious failure. He beckoned for a few his loyal followers to take the body and leave it where the Paladins would find it.

"Don't forget, there's more people!" He called out after them, "Including that advisor of the dead king. I want the throne, and if I don't get it in three days they'll all die and the whole city will burn!" 

Zhin's words were haunting him, and the two of them were at a very bad crossroads.

 

They returned to the town they occupied which had been aptly named Resistance, and Sha Lin almost choked when he arrived.

The body of the person he had accidentally killed was lying by the fountain, surrounded by confused Paladins and curious villagers. Valera eyed the body closely, Pip checking the body over for any other hints at what had happened besides the completely cauterised slash wound in his neck.

"A heated blade of sorts... pretty uncommon weapon," Pip muttered. Valera was too focused to notice the two Paladins return, but Tyra didn't let them slip by so easily. She didn't manage to say a thing before Sha Lin went inside, which Koga presumed was to blame himself.

"Hey, is he okay?" Tyra asked, temporarily distracted by how fast Sha Lin had disappeared. 

If anyone knew how to keep a secret and play it cool, it was Koga. “Ate something bad. We would have stayed longer if he was okay,” He muttered, glancing off in the direction his friend had gone in pity.

Tyra nodded in understanding, deciding not to prod further. “Oh, well I hope he feels okay soon. Any chance you found anything? About the Thousand Hands or this dead guy?” She pointed to the body that Valera and Pip were still examining, a considerable crowd formed around. 

Koga sighed. The truth had to be told, minus a few parts that needed to remain a secret. “He was a hostage taken by the Thousand Hands leader, Zhin. Killed him right in front of us. He claims to have the advisor and more people hostage.”

Tyra frowned, her foot tapping on the ground in frustration. “What does he want in return? Money? Crystals?”

Koga shook his head. “It would be easy if he wanted money or crystals. No, he wants the Empire’s throne.”

Tyra scowled at the idea of a tyrant ruling over one of the Realm’s most powerful nations. Hell, this was going to be hard.

But when was being a Paladin ever easy?


	28. Gasoline and Gunpowder

The body had been removed from the ground outside by the fountain, taken in for Pip to do some testing. Villagers outside were splashing the ground with buckets of water to wash out the blood. The Paladins slowly dispersed as the commotion died down, returning to their usual duties. Valera had wanted to speak to Sha Lin and Koga over what they had seen regarding the Thousand Hands, and the deal struck between them and their new ally, Furia. Koga insisted that now was not the best time to talk to Sha Lin, keeping up with the lie he had told, so Valera just asked him to pass on a message.

Koga wanted to return to see what he could do about the Thousand Hands however, so he told the next person he knew Sha Lin would trust without asking too many questions, and that was the local griffin-tamer, Lazaros.

"Why me?" Lazaros asked as he brushed down Athena, who had proven to be rather difficult to brush as she kept rolling around delightfully, threatening to accidentally smack Lazaros to the ground with a paw or a wing.

"Because he trusts you," Koga replied simply.

Lazaros sighed, tossing the massive, coarse brush at Koga. "Fine. But you're going to brush Athena down for me in exchange."

Koga stared, wanting to protest but unable to as the massive griffin flipped onto her belly, eyeing the brush in Koga's hands with excitement. She chirped, demanding to be brushed, and Lazaros was already gone.

Guess he was stuck with brushing duty, and he hoped Athena wasn't going to roll over him.

Sera had made some soup while she was away from the Palace when there weren't matters to attend to - after all, she was just acting as ruler. She wasn't really a queen. Lazaros decided to bring Sha Lin some soup if he was going to check on him anyway. 

He quietly knocked on the door of the archer's room, waiting until he heard him ask who was there.

"It's me, Lazaros. I brought you soup and a message," The messenger replied. He carefully opened the door when Sha Lin let him come in. "Are you okay? Koga said you weren't feeling well."

Sha Lin raised an eyebrow, before realising it was the lie Koga had probably made up to cover him. "Oh? Yeah, I'm okay. What's up?" He tried to think about anything other than the events earlier.

Lazaros placed down the soup on the wooden table. "We struck a deal with a new ally. Her name is Furia. She's an angel, of sorts."

Sha Lin reached for the bowl of soup, sitting cross-legged and sipping from it. "What does she want in exchange?"

"We have to fight the Abyss, apparently. Karne tried to feed it sacrifices in the hopes that he could control it, but it just made the Abyss bigger, angrier, and hungrier for more," Lazaros explained.

The soup and the interesting story of the Abyss Lazaros was telling was taking his mind off the Thousand Hands for a bit, but he was brought back to it when Lazaros asked what had happened there.

"The leader Zhin has a few hostages, and that man we found out there? That was a warning to us. He has the King's Advisor as well," Sha Lin replied. He decided to leave out why the man had been killed. 

Lazaros frowned. "What does he want in return?" He asked.

"The throne. And we got three days to do something about it before he kills every hostage he has and rampages." Sha Lin lowered his eyes, putting the empty bowl aside. "This is exactly what I didn't want to see him become."

Lazaros knew some things about Sha Lin, but not about his relationship with Zhin. He sat down on the bed next to the archer. "What do you mean? You knew him?" 

"Once, in a different life. Back when we were young and naive," The Desert Wind replied, "long before all this happened with the Realm. You know, when it was peaceful."

"A lot has changed since then. He became mad with power, obsessed by the bloodshed and the fury of his noble rights being taken from him. I couldn't bear to see him become a monster, so I ran away. Koga was there too, but he turned his back from the Thousand Hands for other reasons. He just keeps showing up, again and again, haunting me and refusing to let go. I wish he would just leave me alone, since he's got so many other loyal followers," He explained. 

Lazaros listened carefully, nodding. "Hey, you're not in this alone. We'll help you, if you want us to. That's why we're a family right?" 

Sha Lin smiled a little. "Thanks, but I think Koga and I can handle it. It's our business, after all. Where is he?" 

"Outside, brushing Athena down. Hopefully he hasn't been squashed by her already," Lazaros laughed. Sha Lin nodded, getting up and heading out, Lazaros following behind.

Koga was wrestling with Athena, who was thrashing about trying to get Koga to brush her right, and he was struggling to keep his balance. Lazaros whistled sharply, Athena rolling onto her belly to eye him eagerly. 

"Had a good time?" Lazaros teased, taking the brush back from Koga. 

"She's insane," Koga commented, brushing himself off of griffin hairs. His attention was taken by Sha Lin, who silently gestured for him to follow. They went to speak to Valera, telling her of the tyrant's demands in exchange for the hostages.

"We can't give him the throne," Valera mused, "but you know him better than I do. Can I leave it in your hands? The rest of us will keep our attention on Karne and the Abyss."

Koga and Sha Lin shared a look, nodding. "We can handle it. Even if it means ending this in blood." 

Valera nodded. "Good. Maybe you can talk to someone at the palace if you need others to help you."

The two of them left, agreeing to pay their old friend a visit. For now, they would lay low and observe what Zhin was willing to do to get his precious throne. 

 

The next two days leading up to the deadline Zhin had set for the Paladins to give up the throne, Sha Lin and Koga had kept a close eye on the Thousand Hands, taking out followers of the vicious tyrant whenever they could. They lost yet another hostage, which thankfully wasn't the Advisor, but they found the body thrown out for dogs to eat. It made their blood boil, but there was little they could do about it without charging head first in, and probably getting themselves killed in doing so.

And that certainly wasn't an option. 

Zhin must have lost his patience waiting, for he came out around midnight on the second day, with the Advisor held in a tight grip. The tyrant pulled his sword out, but left it hanging low. 

"I know you're there," He called out to the darkness. Sha Lin and Koga stayed out of sight, but they were listening closely. "I'm tired of waiting. You know what happens when I'm tired of waiting. You got until dawn to give me an answer. That's six hours. Think it over, because I'll kill another hostage every hour. Maybe that will get it in your head. At dawn, the King's trusted advisor dies."

He shoved the Advisor back inside one of the few houses that had been left standing, spared from the fires that razed everything else to the ground.

"We don't have that much time left, but at least we know how many hostages he's got left. One for each hour, and we got six hours. Twenty minutes before the next hostage dies. We need to act now," Koga growled.

"We can't do it alone though," Sha Lin disputed, "but I do have an idea. Let's get back to the village and talk there."

"Go back?" Koga repeated, "We don't have that sort of time!" 

The archer was already mounting up. "Would you rather rush in and die?" He asked rethorically. He said nothing as Koga got up and mounted up, before the two of then galloped back to the village.

As soon as they got back, Sha Lin asked Koga to get Lazaros and Athena, while he went to speak to Valera. 

"Do you know any snipers? It's urgent," He requested. Valera shook her head, but Tyra had someone in mind. 

"I do," Tyra offered, "But who knows where she went. She's uh... former Magistrate though, but I do know that she left on her own accord and doesn't associate with them anymore. How soon do you need her?"

"Preferably now, but within the next hour if possible. Tell her to meet me at the south of the Empire, and bring her rifle. I need to go." Sha Lin wasted no time in saddling up, calling for Koga and Lazaros to follow. 

They returned to the battleground, feeling the air heavy with dread and promise of bloodshed. 

"So what's the plan?" Lazaros asked, keeping a hand on Athena's reins to keep her calm and steady, in case she got too excited and flew off.

"You and Athena will need to make a big distraction. Draw as many of the Thousand Hands out of the building and let us sneak in. We got a sniper hopefully coming our way to help us look inside and identify where the hostages are being kept. Koga and I will go inside and look for the hostages, and Zhin. Got it?" Sha Lin asked once he was done with the briefing.

Koga and Lazaros nodded. "It's time to take him on," The former commented. For years after his exile from the Thousand Hands for a crime he didn't commit, he had been working up to this day to face Zhin.

For Sha Lin, this wasn't about revenge or anything of the sort. This was about ending tyranny, destroying one of the Magistrate's assets, and getting one step closer to freedom for the Realm. 

He too, was ready. But to begin the plan, Lazaros and Athena had to make their move first. The griffin and her rider were perched carefully, ready to charge in at a moment's notice when the signal was given. Lazaros's eyes flicked between the burning field below them, awaiting the signal, but Athena's eyes were glistening and glaring down already, ready to spring forward.

As soon as Sha Lin nodded, Lazaros kicked into action, sending him and Athena rampaging down the damaged sandstone path. Lazaros fired into the crowd with a severe lack of any care, shooting anyone and anything that didn't get out of the way. Those that stood valiantly in the path of the raging griffin were mercilessly beaten aside, thrown or ripped apart by the lusting beast.

As more and more of the Thousand Hands were drawn away to attempt to subdue the griffin and rider, Sha Lin and Koga made a move, leaving their cover and stealthily blending with the harsh shadows combated with the striking flames. 

The duo got halfway, before a few of the Hands noticed them. They barely got three steps in before two of them went down with arrows to the head and chest, and one more ridden full of bullets. 

If the Thousand Hands had taught them anything that they kept with them, it was to kill fast, and kill silently. Over the roar of Athena and the Hands attempting to take her down, they got away with their new kills and no one else noticing. 

They found the little house outside to be more than just that. Outside it had seemed so small and simple, but a locked trapdoor greeted them on entry. It was a simple bypass, Koga unsheathing his heated claws and jamming it right through the lock's chain, severing it and opening a dark pathway below.

With Sha Lin in front and Koga walking behind, they had their weapons at the ready for anyone that might attempt to jump them. They began to walk down the catacombs of one of the Realm's most notorious guilds, unaware of the hundreds of traps laid out in the dark.

 

Lazaros and Athena were relentless. Man after man went down, either their limbs or chunks of bloody flesh ripped out, or chock full of bullets. They weren't invisible however, and heavier artillery was being brought out to combat the vicious beast.

A door smashes open, revealing a massive man. He was built like a fridge, solid muscle and nothing else. Hell, he probably weighed three hundred pounds of muscle, and Lazaros was probably just a fly to him.

The hulking enemy made his way to them, pushing past other Hands like they were thin bushes in a garden being eaten up by a lawnmower. Lazaros was really ready to make a run for it, when suddenly the massive man lurched backwards, dropping to his knees and head sagging down. Blood spilled onto his face and the burnt ground at his knees.

"Target eliminated," A voice came on his communicator. 

Lazaros turned around to look back, finding a short haired woman with a mean sniper rifle perched up the hill. She wasted no time, moving on to the next target. Her aim was pinpoint, landing no misses on the chaotic battlefield.

"Identify yourself!" Lazaros yelled into his little wrist-mounted device. He wouldn't have shouted if the battlefield wasn't filled with bullets flying, swords clashing, the horrific dying shrieks of men being torn apart limb from limb, and an enraged griffin sparing no man.

"Kinessa. Tyra sent me. Objective has been briefed. Just keep your head down and I'll help you out," The voice replied. 

With a new ally to help them, Lazaros, Athena and Kinessa were chewing through Hands like no one's business. Alive and well Hands fell dead where they stood, which was a far more merciful death than the one Athena was generously dishing out.

A number of Hands were either realising that the fight outside was just a distraction, or terrified of being ruthlessly torn apart, for they turned tail and ran back into the house. Lazaros figured they needed a bigger distraction, or weapon.

Well, why not both? If the Thousand Hands loved anything more than power and valuable items, it was anything flammable. A single sword on fire wasn't going to be able to set a whole town of cobble on fire, so they kept many, many kegs of gasoline and gunpowder.

Lazaros planned to ask Kinessa to shoot the kegs and spill the flammable liquid out, but she was busy keeping pressure off him. Instead, he pulled on Athena's reins, pulling her from the fight.

The griffin screeched, turning her attention to the kegs as Lazaros steered her towards them. She flapped wildly, kicking and hurling the heavy barrels all over. Some rolled further down the hill, lacing the ground with ashy powder and choking liquid that poured from broken holes.

Athena seemed to get the idea, thrashing about and flinging the barrels everywhere. Some of the barrels were hurled right at the Hands, bowling them over effortlessly. They began to scatter, afraid of being hit in the face with stuffed wooden kegs. 

As the kegs bounced and smashed against the ground, gasoline splashed out on the glimmering ground before being muted by heavy gunpowder. Gasoline began to run off the path, soaking everything in its way. Walls were splashed with it, kegs of gunpowder drenched and waiting to explode.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lazaros caught sight of flames beginning to lick at a trail of gasoline, beginning to run excitedly along the liquid line. As his eyes traced the source of the gasoline, he found the spilt keg right next to two barrels of gunpowder, also spilling out into gasoline to form a disgusting, chalky, black mix.

Immediately he kicked Athena into action, pushing her up into the air qnd soaring back to safety as fast as possible. The fire below got greedier and greedier, speeding along the gasoline trail. Lazaros pushed Athena into overdrive, feeling every muscle of the beast push them to safety. As they got behind a solid rock, Kinessa too had gotten back into cover, curling into a ball behind safety as they awaited the explosion.

KABOOM!

The explosion rocked the entire citadel, lighting up the night sky with light and ash. Fire raced through windows and doors, speeding through the tunnels Koga and Sha Lin were wandering in.

The two of them had a split second to react, hurling themselves down a sharp turn in the illuminated underground catacombs as the fire swept by in a straight path. It was blazing hot, and the two pressed themselves to the floor, waiting for the blaze to pass.

The fire eventually dissipated, allowing the two to continue they journey, but the explosion had caused the house shielding the tunnel entrace to collapse, sealing them inside. Still, there had to be another exit right?

"Come on, we gotta work faster. Who knows where Zhin is and how long we have," Sha Lin pressed as the two of them broke into a run.

Alastor, the King's Advisor, was reaching out of the bars of his cell, trying to grab at a book he saw across the dark tunnel walls. It was so far out of reach however, and he yelped in surprise as a figure appeared, throwing himself back against the hard floor.

Zhin didn't even look at him as he unlocked the cell and grabbed a woman out, leaving four of them behind. She wailed and begged for mercy, but he only drew his hand back and struck her across her face, leaving red marks on her cheek. Her pleas to be spared were reduced into pathetic whimpering, and she was struck again into silence.

All this while Alastor watched in enraged silence, unable to do anything about it. The warlord hauled the woman off, her screaming resuming again in the lost attempt for someone to help her. The young Advisor heard her crying fade down the dark halls until she could no longer be heard through the hollow caves.

The other three commoners left in the cell had huddled up into a ball against a corner of the cell, one other woman slowly moving to her knees. She clasped her hands together and lowered her head, already beginning to pray for rescue, or a merciful death. 

The other two were a man and a boy. The boy wept into his own shirt, while the man tried to comfort him. As he reached out, the boy shrieked and shied away, crawling over to the robed official.

"Your son?" He asked, letting the child huddle near him. Even under stressful situations, he always kept his head cool. 

The man on the other side of the cell shook his head. "I'm a friend of his father. The boy may not know me, but we have to stand together in times like these," He sighed, staring out into the bleak darkness, "Hope is all we have."

Alastor slowly got to his feet, shedding his golden robe for the boy clung tightly to it. He wandered over the bars again, peering at the book again. It looked plain and simple, but the energy that resonated and radiated from it was powerful and familiar, like as if Alastor had read it before even though it looked nothing familiar.

"If I can just get that book..." Alastor hissed, desperately trying to reach for it. He withdrew his hand sharply as two figures appeared, alerting everyone in the dusty cell. The boy screamed and hugged the advisor's abandoned robe harder, the woman praying faster and faster, and the man clenching his fists, awaiting his turn to be hauled out of the cell to his death. 

Alastor was shoved back from the cell door by one of the guard's baton as it was jabbed into his chest hard, the other one unlocking the cell door and grabbing the young boy as he thrashed about, his shrieks echoing through the entire catacombs.

The two Paladins heard the screams. "This way," Koga instructed, taking a sharp left turn. Sha Lin followed behind, matching the assassin's pace as they followed the endless screaming.

The two guards had four more following them in case the prisoners decided to try revolting, but in this case they were faced with two Paladins.

Within seconds of spotting the guards, one went down with an arrow impaling the guard's thin armour. The commotion alerted the two hauling the child off, slamming the cell gate shut and running off to deliver the child to Zhin.

"Damnit," Koga hissed, unsheathing the burning claws and striking at the three guards that remained behind to stop them.

The guards's thin armour did nothing to help the onslaught of bullets, arrows, and slashes that brought them all down. Sha Lin leapt over the bodies, following the screaming down into the darkness.

"I'll find the kid! Get the others out!" He shouted behind him, leaving Koga to rummage the bodies for the keys.

Alastor's heart was pounding, but he got to his feet as Koga searched the guards for keys. "Thank goodness you're here. I don't think any of these guards have the key, but if you could just get me that book over there I think I can get us out."

Koga looked behind him at the wall, where a simple leather-bound book stood on a simple metal mantle. He took it down, finding nothing interesting about it.

"This? What's so important about it?" Koga asked, handing the book through the cell bar slots. Alastor took it in his hands, feeling the power of the book pulsing under his touch.

The leather cover of the book melted away, a glowing sigil of a Phoenix burning into the book's hard cover. Nonsensical pages of gibberish turned into spells and incantations, symbols and sigils appearing om every page.

Alastor grinned, having revealed the truth of the book. "I knew there was something special about this. Move aside, this will be rough."

Koga stepped aside, away from the cell gate. He watched as Alastor opened the book, one hand over the open pages. Slowly, orange light began to glow under his hovering palm, before he cast his hand forward.

The pulse of energy shot at the gate, blasting a hole open in the gate in a smouldering mess. "It works! I thought this book lost its power ages ago," Alastor grinned, closing the book.

Koga ushered the other two out of the cell. "Come on, we don't have time to sit here and celebrate. We need to go."

Alastor helped the two others to their feet, following Koga as he retraced his steps. He had left slashes on the walls marking where he had come from, running his hand along the wall to feel for the marks when he couldn't see them.

Sha Lin on the other hand, had gone deeper into the catacombs, still chasing the guards to get the child back. The guards led him right to an exit, and he followed closely. One of the guards managed to leave, but the other didn't follow as Sha Lin fired three arrows into his back.

The guard collapsed, leaving the archer with one less problem to deal with. He dashed for the exit, bursting out into a charred open with his worst enemy staring him in the face.

The boy was in his hands, face streaked with tears and wailing. A woman lay headless on the blackened ground next to them, coppery blood pooling and staining crimson.

The part of the citadel around them was destroyed. Houses blown up, remains on fire. Bodies of Hands lay everywhere, mangled, unrecognisable. A lot of people had died tonight.

Sha Lin drew his bow and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion, aiming it at the head of his once best friend, turned worst enemy. It hurt him to have to come to this, but it was now or never. If he chose never, Zhin would rule the Empire and cast it into chaos.

It had to be now.

"It's over, Zhin," Sha Lin called out, "let the child go and I'll spare your life."

Zhin laughed mockingly. "When did I ever need your permission to live? Make your choice now. The throne, or the life of this child."

The boy whimpered, begging silently to be spared. Sha Lin kept his bow raised, but every second he stayed silent was pushing Zhin closer to ending the life of the boy. 

Slowly, his bowstring became slack and he lowered the bow. Zhin smiled cruelly, like a wolf standing over a crippled deer, just tormenting him and drawing out the time for the final strike.

The strike never came, however. Zhin didn't let go of the child, but neither did he attack. The same force that stopped Sha Lin had stopped the tyrant warlord too. The sword was lowered ever so slightly, and Zhin was smug, but confused.

"You would rather give up the throne of one of the Realm's most powerful societies to spare the life of a child," He muttered. The sword was raised against the child's neck as Sha Lin took a step forward. The archer stopped again, keeping his bow slack.

"What, haunted by that man you killed with your shot?" Zhin taunted, "All your failures finally catching up to you? Why are you hesitating to shoot?" 

Sha Lin still refused to answer, only making Zhin angrier and angrier the more he didn't reply. Zhin kept demanding to know why Sha Lin wasn't shooting, shouting and barking louder and louder until the archer made the decision to raise his bow, nock an arrow, draw, and fire.

The arrow pierced through Zhin's right calf, bringing the man to his knee. The boy in his hands wriggled free in his captor's moment of weakness, running behind Sha Lin with a whimper.

The Desert Wind drew another arrow, drawing it back to full force. At this range, the arrow would go clean through the tyrant's skull. Zhin still had the strength to fight back, but it was washed away as a gun clicked behind his head. Koga stood behind him, finger ready on the trigger.

Zhin understood he was defeated. He dropped his eyes to the ground, sighing. "I knew this day would come eventually. I always knew Koga would be pointing a gun at my back one day, but I never expected you to be there, staring me in the eye with my death awaiting on your arrow," He spat to Sha Lin.

The desert archer's eyes didn't waver. He remained in stony silence, wanting to hear everything Zhin had to say. Koga however, wanted to hear none of it.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" Koga snapped. Sha Lin didn't move, so Koga figured it was time to take his initiative. As he pulled the trigger, the gun in his hand was smashed away. It landed on the ground with a broken arrow on the ground.

Sha Lin had shot Koga's gun away to save Zhin's life. Koga growled, snatching his gun off the floor. “What are you doing?” He snapped, “Kill him!”

The archer eyed his former friend, crippled, defeated. “There is no need to kill him. Look at him, he’s helpless.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted? To get rid of him?” Koga argued back, “Why stop now?”

Sha Lin shook his head at Koga. “There’s a difference between justice and revenge. You want revenge, but all I want is justice for the Realm. Justice doesn’t mean we have to kill him.”

Koga scowled, looking away. Part of him knew Sha Lin was right, but he hated to admit it. In his eyes, Zhin deserved to die. He had brought nothing but sorrow, grief, and terror to those around him. A tyrant, a warlord, didn’t deserve to live, but he knew there was something not right about killing him. With nothing else to say, he just crossed his arms and waited for what Sha Lin wanted to do.

Zhin shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. “You’re a coward, Sha,” He hissed, toxicity dripping from every word like a drooling snake, “Even when you have the chance to kill me and you won’t do it. This is a huge mistake, to let me live. I’ll only come back and finish what I started later.”

The archer drew another arrow, gesturing for Zhin to just leave. “Then I’ll kill you later if you do come back. For now, just go. I will not hesitate to kill you if you see you again.”

Amidst the burning city, Zhin broke off the arrow, leaving only the shard in his leg. He gave both his former allies one last glare, before silently hobbling away with nothing but his sword in its sheath. Following him, a group of remaining Hands that hadn’t died in the violent battle who still believed in their leader.

That was the end of the Thousand Hands, even if they vowed to return one day. Until they did, the Empire could earn some peace.


	29. Admiral of the Ghostly Ship

While the Empire had lost a few citizens who had been taken hostage by the now-gone leader of the Thousand Hands, those who did return were welcomed by their family. Those who had lost their families were offered compensation by Alastor once he returned to his position in the palace.

The part of the Empire that had been affected by the fighting, explosions, and fire was blocked off for now while Hands taken prisoner cleared the area and paved the way for reconstruction. Sha Lin and Koga returned to the Paladins, victorious, but tensions high between them over the former’s questionable decision to spare a tyrant. 

Valera could feel the tension between them but chose not to ask about it, for she had her mind on other things. Since Furia’s arrival and her alliance with the Paladins, the Abyss had begun to peek its nasty self here and there. Where they went, they began to see more of its destruction lying around. 

It was just as well Alastor sent a message to them one morning of a relic and a pirate, of which had risen from the Abyss. A fleet of the Empire's warships had been sent to retrieve this relic, which was said to be able to summon a powerful beast that heeded the command of a master it found suitable. Alastor highly believed Valera to be worthy of it, with the intention of bringing the key to her. The warships however, had been intercepted.

The message spoke of a pirate, an Admiral by the name of Dredge. He had single handedly taken down the entire fleet of Empyrean ships and stolen the key for himself. Reports of scouting ships said that the key had summoned a great dragon, but found the Admiral lacking. It drowned the ship, and that would have been the end of it had the Abyss not interfered, reviving the pirate as a servant of Abyssal power.

Furia listened as Valera read out the message with interest. She knew several Abyssal Lords and their servants, but this news of a pirate now under the Abyss’s command was interesting. 

“…The ship was last seen heading southwest, towards the Frigid Isles. Predictions believe that the ship will dock at Frostbite Caverns within four days,” Valera read out to the Paladins gathered around the table.

“What’s so interesting about Frostbite Caverns? Sounds like just ice and caves,” Talus commented as Valera put down the scroll.

“Well, it is just ice and caves, but the nearby area includes one of smaller mining sites. Crystals weren’t just found at Splitstone Quarry, they were also found in ice, frozen deep under the surface,” Tyra replied, “sounds like the dragon summoned by the key is long gone, but…”

Tyra turned her attention to Furia. “Furia, are Abyssal powers enhanced by crystals?” She asked.

Furia nodded. “They are, but not by much. Majority of powers are funnelled directly from the Abyssal Lord itself. Crystals just help to enhance the power when in the physical realm. They don’t do anything in the Abyssal realm.”

“I suppose it’s worth intercepting,” Valera commented, “We might even find more crystals for our use. We’re running the Royal Vault dry as it is.”

Just a few days ago, the Paladins had withdrawn even more crystals from the Vault to accommodate the growing number of Paladins they had joining their ranks. It was well worth it, but they were running low. 

“Are you planning to pull everyone to go? What about Karne?” Tyra asked. Lately, the Magistrate had been quiet and activity was slow, like Karne was planning something to execute when the Paladins were all gone.

“Speaking of Karne, he hasn’t been completely inactive. I’ve got some reports of his guards moving around a little city called Outpost. It’s pretty close to Frostbite Caverns, so maybe it’s worth checking out while we’re there,” Lazaros chimed in. He spent a lot of time within the Empire walls, picking up information whenever it came by, and rumours of Magistrate activity floated around often from merchants that came from other lands, either in search of better business, or safety from the Magistrate’s forces.

“If Karne’s got movement out there, then it’s worth checking out. Everyone will go, and I’ll have guards stationed here to protect everyone else while we’re away. Sera can inform us if anything happens here,” Valera mentioned.

Koga thought about the Advisor and his magic for a bit, before realising he could be a useful addition. “The palace Advisor’s actually a pretty powerful magic user. Maybe we can bring him along,” He suggested to the rest.

“Alastor?” Valera repeated, “How do you know that?”

“When I was looking for him in the catacombs he saw a book and asked me to get it for him. It was a spell book and he destroyed the cell with it. I believe he’s more than just a palace advisor. We could ask him about it. He needs to know we’re leaving for awhile anyway,” Koga shrugged.

Valera slowly nodded, chewing on the idea for a bit. “I can roll with that. You and Lazaros can go, the rest of us will start preparing for the trip.”

Lazaros and Koga exchanged glanced before the former gestured for Koga to hitch a ride on Athena, who was once more, rolling in the grass by a tree. The whole tree looked like it was going to be uprooted if Athena hit it.

Lazaros whistled sharply, catching the griffin’s attention. She rolled onto her belly, ears sharp as she awaited her master’s instruction. “I’ll get her saddled up. Ten minutes,” Lazaros mentioned as he headed to the stable. Athena didn’t actually stay in the stable for she’d frighten the horses, but all her equipment was stored inside. Lazaros only needed her saddle and reins for a short trip to the palace - the heavier equipment like her travel packs and others could wait for the long journey to the Frostbite Caverns.

Koga watched how deftly Lazaros worked with the griffin. He was efficient and fast, while Koga could never had done that. He didn’t even manage to brush the griffin down without almost getting squashed, and here Lazaros was saddling a massive beast with ease. He was a natural at it, like he had grown up handling them. 

“Okay, ready!” Lazaros called to Koga as he fastened the saddle and swung himself up onto it. Koga climbed on behind him, hanging tight as Athena bounded forward and spread her wings, taking flight with one powerful stroke. 

They reached the Empire in twenty minutes. In the past, Athena had to land outside and walk in, but visits from the Paladins were considered important and a runway of sorts had been cleared behind the palace for Athena to land directly on. 

The palace guards gave them no resistance, lightly bowing to the Paladins as they entered the palace. They made a beeline straight for the former King’s office, finding Alastor there as usual. He was very rarely found outside the office, though it was unsure what he usually did in the empty office. 

Alastor was expecting their arrival, greeting them as the two of them entered with a smile. “Greetings, Paladins. How can I be of service to you?” He asked.

“Two things,” Koga started, “The Paladins are all leaving for Frostbite Caverns.”

“Must be important if everyone is going. I assume guards are to be deployed to the village as per normal?” Alastor asked.

Koga nodded. “And we know you’re more than just an advisor.”

Alastor raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean…?” 

“When we were in the catacombs a few days ago, you asked me for a book you saw. You knew it was a spell book without even seeing through its disguise. And you knew how to cast spells. Would you mind if we saw more of what you can do?” Koga asked.

Alastor sighed, shaking his head. “I’m no mage. But if you insist, we’ll go to the courtyard and I will show you.” He picked up the book from a golden stand on the King’s now-unused desk, waving for them to follow.

he led them to the courtyard, which was a massive open space. Part of it was a well-maintained garden full of flowers, trimmed bushes, and topiaries. Cobble pathways led to a flat piece of land covered in stone brick with a few statues scattered throughout the area. 

Many of the statues were simple, meaningless things purely for decoration. No one would really miss them, so they made excellent targets for Alastor to use his magic on. 

Koga and Lazaros stepped aside to watch Alastor without the chance of being caught in the crossfire. 

Opening to a page of the book, Alastor hovered his one hand over the page, feeling the spell on the book. He didn’t need to read any of the spells. Just feeling it told him how to cast it. It was something junior mages couldn’t do, or people who weren’t born with magic in their blood.

Koga and Lazaros watched with interest as light began to gather under his palm hovering over the open spellbook, before he cast his hand forward in a similar spell to the one he had done to free himself and the other hostages while trapped in the catacombs of the Thousand Hands’s network.

The statue on the right exploded, pieces of stone flying everywhere as the magical blast connected with the statue. If the blast had hit a person, they would most certainly have exploded just like the statue had. 

There were still two more statues, and Lazaros was especially interested to see what Alastor would do with them. Alastor let go of the book, allowing it to hover between his hands. With one of his hands he lifted the statue without actually touching it, and with the other hand, cast a spell from the floating book. Several beams of light shot out from the open pages, materialising into solid blades that ripped through the statue. He let go of the statue, watching it fall into pieces with slashes and scores marking it. Had it been a person, they would have been sliced up into little pieces.

The last statue remained standing, but Alastor closed the book and handed it to Lazaros. “Won’t need that for this last one,” He muttered. In Lazaros’s hands it was a normal, very normal book.

Alastor made a series of complicated movements, in a single motion so fast and natural like he had done it his entire life. A golden sword’s hilt materialised in his hands, a massive blade glowing and growing from the hilt into a complete sword. The base of the sword was yellow, and as i went further up it turned into a rich orange, then a phoenix red. The sword was easily twice Alastor’s side, but he held it with ease.

Lazaros’s jaw dropped. “Whoa. That’s incredible. How long have you been studying magic?” He asked.

“Roughly… all my life I guess? I have phoenix blood running in my family,” Alastor replied.

Lazaros was amazed by the powers displayed by Alastor. “Why are you an advisor? You should have been a warlock or something.”

Alastor scratched the back of his head. “My dad was the King’s Advisor, actually. He died when Karne came for the first time, and someone had to fill in his footsteps. I’d seen his work before, so I just took over. It made sense then, doesn’t feel like I’m doing it right. Now that the King’s… passed on, I don’t think I can really just give up now. The people have no one else to look to, and honestly some of the officials are complete idiots."

Lazaros felt a little pity for Alastor. He seemed to have so much more he could pursue, but he was a stuck in the palace fulfilling a job he shouldn’t have done. “Do you want to come with us? To Frostbite Caverns? We need all the help we can get, and I think Valera will welcome you.”

Alastor smiled, but shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but the Empire needs me, as much as I’d like to. I don’t think people can manage without an advisor. Besides, I have matters to attend to. The Empire still needs and heir.”

Oh, right. That promise. Koga didn’t know about it yet, but Lazaros had heard Valera, Tyra, Sha Lin, and Ying talk bout it before. They really needed to work on that promise to the late King, but saving the Realm from complete destruction was high priority. They could work on finding a suitable heir in along the way.

"We'll let Valera know. Sera will inform us if anything happene here or... inform you if anything happens to us, I guess," Koga muttered.

Alastor nodded. "I wish you luck on your journey. Shame the warships didn't come back. I did believe Valera was worthy of the dragon and it would have made an excellent ally."

"We'll find allies in other places. Well, better be off. Come on, Laz. Let's go," Koga called, leaving the palace. Lazaros smiled at Alastor before following the white haired assassin. 

Athena was waiting for them by the runway, allowing her passengers to climb aboard before taking off into a run and speeding into the sky.

Back at the village, the Paladins were already packing for the trip. Sha Lin, Pip, and Ying had gone back to the Empire to pick up wares the village couldn't provide. Barik was working furiously at making extra weapons and armour while Tyra was fixing heavy fur coats for the cold at the caverns and mines.

Makoa, Inara and Talus had little to pack, so they assisted the villagers in their daily duties, trying to get as much done before they left. Talus was in his element picking apples from the orchard's new batch of trees that had been planted months ago. 

Inara worked her earthen magic on a lot of turnips, potatoes, and carrots, helping them to grow faster, protect them from harsh weather, and yield higher bounties. 

Makoa was further out in the river, guiding currents to bring plentiful amounts of fish for fishermen. All this seemed like small, simple gestures, but to a village that didn’t earn much outside of fishing and the orchards, it meant a lot.

Winter didn’t hit the village for it was located just off the sandy, blazing desert, but when winter did arrive for the Enchanted Forest, it usually meant slower arrival and exporting of goods from the village, which also meant slower income. To be able to sustain themselves with the help of the Paladins was a great change.

Villagers endlessly worked to start preparing for when the cold and rain came, but by the time it did the Paladins would have been long gone. That didn't mean they didn't help in setting up tarps to keep water from leaking into houses, but as winter arrived in the following weeks the group of peacekeeping rebels had left the desert.

A week and a half had passed before the Paladins reached the frigid Frostbite Caverns. Their trip had been delayed by a typhoon that swept through their path, forcing them to stay on the shore for a few days as it passed by before they took to the seas once more.

Talus continued to act as navigator, Valera, Tyra and Buck switching between each other to steer the ship. Sha Lin revealed his knack for mapmaking, sketching out the islands they passed by on parchments and connecting them to form a larger map.

Lazaros stayed with Athena when she was below deck and helped to man the sails with Cassie, Inara, Koga, Ying, and Pip while Makoa guided the ship from the waters below. Barik continued to upgrade weapons with whatever crystals they had on hand.

The weather drastically changed as they got closer to the frigid islands. The sky was still bright as ever, but the cold came in hard and fast, chilling the waters and those on board the ship. They were getting close, for the islands were in sight.

"We're getting close!" Talus called out, jumping off the bow of the ship and back onto the ship. "Just another two hours and we'll be there! It's cold though," The young Ska'Drin muttered, rubbing his arms with his hands. He was very much used to the warmth of Serpent Beach, and this was the exact opposite.

In the distance, Valera spotted another ship. It looked fairly normal, but there was a ghostly vibe about it. From the telescope Valera had in her hands, it didn't seem like there was anyone on the ship though it was sailing. No men rowing, no one in the crow's nest, no one at the bow steering the ship. It was almost alive, all on its own.

"I think we may have found our pirate," Valera muttered. "That ship on the horizon looks empty, but its sailing. Hey, Furia, maybe you can have a look?" 

The Angel stepped up, taking the telescope as it was handed to her. She raised it up to her eye, peering through it to view the foreign ship.

It certainly was no warship as it bore no symbol belonging to any known community. The sails were tattered and torn, but it did nothing to stop the massive ship from sailing like it was brand new. It wasn't a merchant ship as they were hardly that big, and merchant ships had no need for cannons. 

Furia lowered the telescope, handing it back to Valera. "That's him. I sense Abyssal power radiating from the ship. Doesn't seem like the pirate is on board though. Let's get closer and have another look. Circle the island until the ship has docked and we see the pirate leaving."

Tyra, at the steering wheel, nodded and pulled the ship into a left turn, going around the frozen island. Valera called for all Paladins to ready their weapons in case the lone ship by the ice decided to attack.

Their ship kept a good distance away, enough to eye the ghostly ship through the telescope without being seen themselves.

Twenty minutes into circling the icy island and keeping an eye on the foreign ship, someone on the ghostly ship began to move. Furia eyed it carefully, but from the distance was unable to make out more than a purple coat with gold trimmings. 

"Can we get closer? Someone's on the ship and I can't see him from here," Furia requested, but Valera shook her head. 

"Any closer and whoever it is will see us. Ask Lazaros if he'll fly with Athena, they can scout around," Valera replied. Griffins were rare around the area, but wild ones had been seen flying around before. With the sun behind Athena, her rider wouldn't be visible.

Furia nodded, going to find the two of them. Athena was diving into the cold waters, fishing for herself. She struck the water with immense speed, catching mouthfuls of fish at once. Domesticated as she may have been, she was still a natural hunter. Lazaros was leaning over the side of the ship, watching the majestic beast with wonder.

Furia cleared her throat, grabbing the young man's attention. He nodded at her in greeting. "What's up?" He asked. 

"I need you and your griffin to fly closer to the ship. Try to see who's on it," Furia requested, though it was more of a statement that left little room for Lazaros to argue.

"You have wings. Can't you do it?" Lazaros asked in return.

Furia rolled her eyes. "If I do fly, he'll notice. It's easier to identify a woman with wings than a griffin. Now will you do it or not?" Furia was very much unused to people not really respecting her authority much, for many knelt in the presence of an angel. This boy though, was unfazed by her.

Lazaros sighed, figuring Furia wasn't going to let up even if he said no. He whistled loud and sharp, calling Athena back to the ship. As she landed, she shook water out of her feathers and fur. Cold water drops flicked everywhere, dotting both Lazaros and Furia. The former didn't seem to mind at all, but Furia scowled and just walked away.

"Wonder what she's so mad about, right Athena?" Lazaros muttered as he got her saddle from the deck below. Valera handed him the handheld telescope as well. He had her ready to fly in a few minutes, mounting up and guiding her into the sky. 

They flew ahead of their ship, getting closer to the ghost ship. He let Athena fly around naturally, keeping his own eye on the ship. If they flew too close and too straight, it would become obvious that someone was riding the griffin. It was better to let her naturally fly as she pleased.

Raising the telescope, Lazaros kept one hand on the reins and his eye on the ship. There was a man on it, which Lazaros assumed to be the captain. He was unloading things from the ship, but never touched a single item. Glowing tentacles erupting from the sea did all the heavy lifting, placing crate after crate on solid ground. Once it was done, the tentacles disappeared back into the sea.

The man himself had an eerie vibe about him, and as he left the ship and shrugged off his coat Lazaros could tell why.

The pirate lacked flesh in certain areas, namely his chest which exposed his ribcage and a crystal-shaped necklace. Where he did have flesh and skin, it was tainted a strange, pale purple. His one uncovered eye had no pupil, and just glowed blue.

The pirate seemed to notice the griffin, and Lazaros's breath hitched as a pale blue harpoon materialized out of thin air and the undead pirate pulled back, eyeing the griffin in the sky.

While Lazaros would have immediately pulled Athena back to the ship, Athena knew better. She continued to lazily circle the sky until the pirate decided she was just a wild grififn and lowered his harpoon, letting it disintegrate. Once he turned his back and disappeared into the island did Athena return to the ship. The ghost ship disappeared too, fading from view with a shimmer until it wasn't there. 

Once they landed back on the ship, Lazaros just loosened Athena's saddle and let her rest while he went to tell Valera and Furia of his findings.

"Okay, so not good. The pirate is first of all, undead, and his ship has tentacles that were helping him. The guy can create harpoons out of nowhere, and his ship just disappeared," Lazaros reported.

"What do you mean his ship disappeared?" Valera asked.

"I mean it just faded from view, like it turned invisible or something," Lazaros replied. 

Furia frowned, thinking. "Tentacles, huh? Must be the Abyssal Lord that brought him back from the dead. We can dock and follow him, see where he goes."

Tyra pulled the ship into the freezing docks of the island, throwing the rope over and jumping down to tie it to a heavy post. The ghostly ship had really disappeared and was not there at all.

The Paladins disembarked one by one, greeted by frost and cold. "Jeez, it's colder than I expected," Pip muttered, fluffing up his fur to keep out the cold.

Valera looked around for any trace of the undead pirate, but just like the ship, he had disappeared without a trace. "This place is abandoned. Doesn't look like anyone's been here in a long time. Come on, we'll go check out the mines first," Valera called as she eyed a frostbitten sign pointing to the mines.

"You sure you don't want to check the caverns first? That's where we assumed that pirate guy was heading," Sha Lin suggested.

"Hm... we could, but if anyone's still in the mines we could talk to them and see if they know anything," Valera replied, "or we could split up as usual."

"Splitting up seems okay. Maybe we can even go three ways since there's enough of us and Outpost needs to be checked for Magistrate activity," Tyra suggested.

That seemed to make the most sense, to split three ways and cover all bases as fast as possible. Valera nodded, after pondering about the idea for a minute or so. 

"Okay, we'll split three ways. Every group has to have at least one healer just in case, since we're in dangerous territory. Furia, you'll go after the pirate in the Caverns with Inara, Cassie, Sha Lin, and Talus. Tyra, Ying, Lazaros, Koga, and Makoa will go to Outpost and see what Karne is up to there. Barik, Pip and Buck will come with me to the Ice Mines. Everyone got it?" 

As Valera gave her assignments the Paladins drifted to their groups. "Meet back at the ship by sunset, or keep the rest of us updated. Everyone has their watch?"

Barik had expertly crafted a watch for everyone, perfectly in sync with each other. Besides just being in sync, the watches had communication devices installed in them and a small button to release a distress signal that would ping the others. It was a nifty device to have, especially when they split up so often.

While the other two groups staying in the frigid isle made their way deeper into the ice, the Outpost-bound group went the other way back to the ship. There was a little ferry just passing by, which they tried to flag down. The ferry either didn't see them, or chose to ignore them.

"I'll get their attention," Makoa reassured as he dove into the freezing water. He swam up to the ferry, resurfacing alongside the little boat.

From the shore the rest could see Makoa hand over something before the ferry turned and approached the shore. The ferryman was a fairly old man, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Well, hop aboard lads. 'Ere to take ya to the grim dark," The ferryman grinned. He was rather strange, but no one chose to say anything about it. After all, he was nice enough to want to bring them to Outpost, but he just felt odd.

Tyra, Ying and Koga boarded the little ferry while Makoa remained in the water, and Lazaros continued to ride Athena over the sea. The ferryman wordlessly took off, the white ferry under them splitting the sea with ease.

The journey to Outpost was silent and short, reaching the dark isle’s shores in twenty minutes or so. No one said a word as they crossed the frigid sea, tiny waves lapping at the ferry and barely rocking it. As they pulled into shore, a few of the Outpost locals began eye the ferry's passengers.

The ferryman had come by before and while some of Outpost's criminal community had tried to rob him before, his disconcerting smile and eerie vibe put a stop to that quickly. It felt like he had some arcane power he could unleash at any moment and the locals decided they would rather not deal with that.

The Paladins however, they looked rich and many of Outpost didn't know who they were or what they were capable of doing. 

Tyra immediately noticed ten of them by the docks, waiting for the ferry to dock and for the passengers to disembark like a pack of starving wolves. The Paladins also noticed the weapons some of them were poorly hiding.

A good assassin knew how to hide a weapon so well that their enemy never knew they had a weapon at all until they were dying already, and these ruffians and thugs may as well have been waving their weapons about and announcing it to everyone.

Sure, they were outnumbered two to one, but as trained warriors and assassins, the Paladins could very well take seven on one with ease. Everyone in the group could singlehandedly take all ten if it came down to it.

As the Paladins got off the ferry, the ferryman wished them goodbye and to call if they needed a ride back. He pushed his boat back out to sea and once his back was to them, dropped the toothy grin. From under the dashboard he pulled out a little receiver, putting it close to his lips.

"Paladins," He whispered into the receiver, "five of them just landed at Outpost. More at Frostbite Caverns. One blonde Frontier girl with a rifle, one elf girl with a veil, a white-haired masked man, a giant tortoise, and a redhead boy with a griffin."

There was a moment of silence as whoever was on the other hand of the receiver wrote down what the ferryman was saying or whatever. "Very good. The Outer Tribunal is already waiting for them there. You've done well."

The ferryman's smile this time was laced with wickedness and sinister. "Thank you, Grand Magister. I hope to continue to be of service."

As the ferryman put down the receiver, he headed to the back of the ferry, opening the cargo container to reveal the body of the real ferryman, face frozen in fear and blood drying on his clothes. The Magistrate disguiser pulled the body out and dumped it overboard, letting it sink to the bottom of the depths were the Abyssal Kraken would accept the offering.

 

The few Paladins at Outpost had already decided which thugs each of them would take, but they needed to get close enough to attack so that their enemies barely had time to draw their weapons. Lazaros and Athena remained in the sky, circling and waiting to strike.

As the four other Paladins stepped onto shore and made their way up the docks, one of the thugs who appeared to be the leader sauntered up to Tyra.

"Hey pretty lady," He sneered, "what're ya doing here? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be here." When Tyra ignored him and walked past without even a glance, he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "Hey, bitch. I'm talking to you."

It was his mistake pulling her in so close, for the next thing he got was a hard punch to the jaw, a loud crack ringing out as she broke his jaw with a single hit. 

He stumbled, hissing in pain. "Get em!" He called to the rest, expecting to be able to take them by surprise.

The Paladins were all ready. As two of the thugs tried to rush Makoa, he simply stepped back and grabbed them both, smashing their heads together as easily as he smashed open coconuts for the Ska'Drin way back.

One of them lunged for Ying, successfully grabbing her and wrangling her into a headlock. "What a shame I gotta kill a pretty face," He snarled, but the Ying in his hands didn't say anything. When he looked up, he saw another identical girl waving sweetly at him, before the illusion in his hands shattered, the girl in his hands shattering into shards of glass that pierced him everywhere.

The other one that rushed Ying has both of his eyes melted off by the concentrated beam of light that fired directly at him. He ran off, clutching his face and screaming about his eyes.

Koga had seemingly disappeared, and a few of the ruffians were now paranoid. "Show yourself, coward!" One of them called out shakily as black smoke snaked around him. Koga materialised out of it, slinging his hand forward. While the unfortunate target expected to be met with a punch, instead burning claws were jammed through his throat.

When Koga pulled back his claws and elbowed another guy behind him unintentionally, blood did not spew. The cauterised wound only left massive gaping holes in the man's neck, and one more shot through the head from his repeater killed him.

Lazaros and Athena charged for those all the way in the back who were trying to escape. The griffin grabbed one man off the ground but was met with resistance as his friend tried to pull him back. She just pulled harder, ripping her victim out of his friend's hands and relishing in his terrifed screams as she tossed him into the air and let him fall.

The other was introduced to Lazaros's abilty to shoot at a moving target while also on a moving griffin, and his aim was terrifyingly sharp. A few bullets pinged off the grass, but many more met their mark and left the last of them bleeding out into the grass.

Five Paladins had killed ten targets in the span of a minute. Impressive, to say the least. 

"Well, that was exciting," Tyra congratulated as the Paladins regrouped. "Search the bodies, see if they were affiliated with the Magistrate."

While the group split up to search the bodies for any sign of affiliation with the Magistrate and for anything of value, Tyra knelt down to the one bastard that had catcalled her. He had been shot with her rifle and lay dead. She couldn't help but scoff a little as she flipped open his coat and dug into his pockets.

Nothing turned up from any of the bandits except some cash. "Guess they weren't with the Magistrate. Local bandits, I suppose," Tyra muttered. 

"You're absolutely right," A voice called out.

The group whipped around to identify who had spoken, for it was unfamiliar to the group. A shadow darted past Athena, the griffin’s sharp gaze tracking it. It was small, but fast. She nudged Lazaros, getting his attention.

“What is it?” Lazaros asked Athena in a hushed voice while she tried to point out where the shadow had gone, but it was too fast.

“Who’s there?” Tyra demanded out loud, her voice ringing through the docks.

The shadow moved again, darting up from the ground to the rooftops. Whatever it was, it was incredibly fast. This time, a trail of pinkish-purple smoke could be seen behind it. It landed on the roof of a building, the afternoon sun shining behind her and hiding her features.

“That depends on who’s asking,” The shadowy figure said. The sun behind her made only a fraction of its shape visible, and the Paladins identified it as a person.

Tyra rolled her eyes, raising her gun a little. “The person asking has a weapon and little patience.”

The girl on the roof eyed Tyra for a little, remembering the ferryman that had brought them here. “Well, you should know that the ferryman earlier was a Magistrate Spy. What do you think about that?”

Immediately the Paladins whispered among themselves, while the girl kept watching them from the roof. Eventually the group split apart again, the blonde woman with the gun lowering it. 

“Come down and we’ll talk,” She called out.

The girl on the roof thought about it for awhile, before she jumped off the roof and landed silently, balanced perfectly. Down here, the Paladins could see her as a very young woman with short, pink hair and strangely cat-like eyes. Her dusky twilight coat was embellished with pink diamond-shaped crystals, and on either side of her coat was a knife.

“I’m Maeve,” She introduced, sauntering up, “I sell information for money, so I hope you brought your wallets, kittens.”

 

Furia, Cassie, Inara, Sha Lin, and Talus had gone down into Frostbite Caverns to look for the Abyssal Pirate they were hunting, and they had gone pretty deep without any results. They were ready to go back, when a harpoon flew by and slammed into an huge icicle above them. They all saw it, and heard the ice cracking, with only a split second to react. 

Talus leapt forward, barrelling straight into Sha Lin as the Ska’Drin ducked out of the way of the icicle that smashed down. The two of them fell over, ice breaking into a million pieces behind them. 

As Talus picked himself up, he saw a small orb bouncing towards them. On the last bounce, it seemed to float up. For a second nothing happened with a shrill sound, then an explosion.

Furia dashed forward and smashed her blade against the little bomb, sending it flying harmlessly down the caverns before it exploded. Once it had exploded and settled, she approached, touching the pieces.

“It’s from the pirate…” She growled, looking around. On top of a ledge, she saw him. A pale, undead Abyssal pirate with his skin stained purple, his chest and gun glowing with Abyssal might. “There!”

Immediately, the pirate took off, and the Paladins chased after him. “Split up!” Furia ordered, shooting after him though her bullets only pinged harmlessly off the ice. 

Inara went with Furia to the left, heading along the main path for carts carrying ice to roll through, while Sha Lin boosted Talus up onto the ledges and climbed up himself, pulling Cassie up with him before they followed after the Abyssal pirate from the ledges. 

Damnit, they’re following now eh? Dredge thought to himself. The pirate looked behind him as he ran through Frostbite Cavern’s maze of icy tunnels. 

Well, in his many years of being a pirate, he never found pursuers to be much of a problem as long as he had a couple of shots fired behind him. Dodge all they want, they were explosives.

When he looked behind him again, he noticed only three of them were pursuing him. The winged girl and the massive stone lady had disappeared, leaving only some guy with a bow, a red-haired girl with a crossbow, and what appeared to be a literal child following.

Dredge chuckled to himself, but the joy he found in the situation didn’t last long as the horned child dashed ahead, catching up to him easily. Dredge barely slipped out of the child’s way, a little unnerved by how fast he was. 

They had run all the way along the caverns was a sturdy house that perhaps was once used a long time ago when the caverns was still populated, but now lay quiet with nothing but piles of long-abandoned coins, some rusted while others gleaming.

Looking back again, it seemed like only the child was following now, the other two lagging behind so much that they couldn’t be seen. Dredge allowed himself to slow and turn around, expecting to catch the child off guard, but as soon as he turned around he was met with a hard hit to the jaw, sending him stumbling back.

Talus readied his Veracharger threateningly as two arrows whizzed past him and slammed into the pirate’s coat sleeves, effectively pinning him to the wall.

Guess he hadn’t shaken any of them off. Dredge scowled as the archer and the hunter revealed themselves, weapons readied, and the other two women appeared as well.

Furia marched straight up to Dredge, pointing her blade at his throat. “Who are you?” She demanded, her eyes burning with fury. 

Dredge refused to be cowed by her, chuckling. “A seafarin’ lass like you and ye don’t know who I am?”

The Paladins exchanged glances, but Furia was having none of it. “I’m not here to play games. Now tell me who you are before I erase you from existence.”

The pirate still refused to let up. “I don’t think ye will, because I know exactly why you’re here in th' freezing nowhere. If ye kill me, ya won’t get yer precious relic.” He grinned when he got the reaction he sought, uncertainty rippling through the five, “That’s what I thought. The relic ye seek though, is gone.”

Furia narrowed her eyes even further. “What makes you think we’ll take your word for it?” She snarled.

“Because th’ monster that came with it drowned me ship! Th’ relic’s probably at the bottom of the sea now,” Dredge muttered darkly.

The Paladins seemed to understand that based off the letter sent by Alastor that had sent them on this journey, this was Admiral Dredge.

“So… you’re Admiral Dredge huh?” Furia asked. 

Dredge didn’t seem to react for a moment, searching the Paladins’s faces for anything he would remember about them. His eyes suddenly widened, putting the pieces together. If this was about the relic, then they must have had something to do with the ships he downed.

“You’re from the desert,” He stated flatly, glaring at Furia.

Furia shook her head. “I’m not interested in the relic, but they are. I’m just interested in your death. Now, since you’re an Abyssal servant, then you might know something about an oracle by the name of Seris,” Furia mentioned, deciding to leave the talk about the relic to the Paladins. “Where is she?”

“That eyeless creature?” Dredge repeated, incredulous. It seemed that the Abyssal servants didn’t all get along. “How should I know? We’ve only met once, and she threatened to steal my soul because I offered her rum. Hitched a ride on me ship without a word.”

Furia’s eyes lit up with interest at the mention. “Where did she go?”

Dredge matched her look evenly. “The Abyss."


	30. Abyss

Maeve sat with the five Paladins at aloud and rowdy tavern at the dark town of Outpost. It was one of the best places to talk, given that people were either so loud that they couldn’t hear over themselves, or so drunk they couldn’t hear a thing.

Lazaros returned to the table with three mugs of cider for himself, Tyra, and Koga. Makoa and Ying opted not to drink, and Maeve watched them intently with her cat-like eyes.

“So, information huh?” Tyra muttered. “What, are you a spy or something? You don’t look the part.”

“In a way,” Maeve replied, eyeing Tyra evenly. “But it does cost money.”

“What are you looking for in return?” Tyra asked. If it was money, they could give. Crystals would be hard to convince them to hand over. Information… even less.

“Money is all I’m asking for,” Maeve simply replied. “You pay me whatever you want, and I give you whatever I think is worth. The more you pay me, the more I say.” She grinned, her teeth glistening in the dim tavern.

The Paladins glanced at each other first, but none of them moved to hand over any money. “No,” Tyra responded, “you tell us what you know first and we’ll pay you. How do we know what you say is reliable?”

Maeve rolled her eyes. “I steal information to sell. I’m not interested in the info itself - just the money I can get from it. I’ve overheard a lot of talk from Magistrate soldiers, Thousand Hands, House Aico… anyone that lets me get close, I know about them.”

Lazaros nudged Tyra, silently mentioning something to her. She shrugged, drinking from her mug. Lazaros pulled out a small pouch from his belt, tossing it across the table to Maeve.

She picked up the pouch, opening it and glancing inside. Experimentally, she took out a coin and lifted it to the light, before tossing it back into the bag with a smile. 

“Well, I do know that Magistrate Karne’s been recruiting more soldiers than usual. Thousands by the day, and not even using fear tactics. He’s using magic to brainwash people with a staff. He’s also finally using the crystals he’s been hoarding, shoving whatever he can onto his staff,” Maeve mentioned, pocketing the bag of coins into her cloak. She didn’t say more, happy to keep information back until she received more money.

The Paladins eyed each other, clearly interested in hearing more. Koga rolled his eyes when no one else made a move to produce more coins, almost throwing another pouch at Maeve. 

She caught it in her hands, opening it and examining a randomly chosen coin again. She shoved the pouch into her cloak again. “This magic is a pretty new development as well. He’s only started using it recently on entire villages.” Her gaze drifted across the group. “I heard an elven village from the heart of the Enchanted Forest fell to it. One of the elf women, tall, blonde, said Valera would come and the Magistrate would pay for it. I don’t suppose any of you would know her name?”

Tyra scowled. That would have been Eloen, Valera’s mother. “What else?” She prompted.

“She’s under the spell - the whole village is empty and they’re serving Karne now. But Karne himself has to be there to do it, since it’s his staff and all. I hear he’s heading to other villages soon. He goes to small, secluded places, where others don’t come to help. Once he’s amassed enough people, I’m sure he’ll make a move on the Empire of the Golden Sun.” Maeve stood up when she was done, excusing herself to the bathroom. She disappeared through the crowd and headed upstairs, leaving the Paladins to discuss what she had told them.

“Brainwashing magic huh?” Tyra muttered, “That’s a new development. Valera needs to know about it, especially if her mother’s been taken.”

“She won’t be too happy about that,” Koga added in, “hopefully she doesn’t go running off to do something stupid about it.”

Maeve came back downstairs as a man came in through the doors. He was recognisable as part of the Outer Tribunal, a merciless group of lawbringers and judges. He searched the crowded tavern, before his eyes came to rest on the Paladins.

Maeve jumped back as the lawbringer made his first shot at them, the bullet hitting the wall. Immediately, the tavern went into chaos. 

People panicked, rushing for the exit as more shots were fired. Others didn’t seem to recognise what was going on, staring in shock at the scene. Koga recognised the man as Lex, whom he had a couple of run ins with before. The assassin hesitated none in whipping out his claws, swinging at the officer.

“You again? Goddamnit, why can’t you just screw off?” Koga snarled.

By now, the bar had almost emptied out, people staring in through the windows. Maeve only stood aside, watching with a mild interest. 

Lex was stoic and stony with silence, dodging Koga’s attacks. He grabbed Koga, slamming the younger assassin against the wall. Koga lashed out again, but the strike was easily sidestepped by Lex.

“The relic, where is it?” Lex demanded, jumping aside as Tyra fired at him. 

Koga picked himself off the floor, claws still out. “How the hell should I know? We don’t even have it!”

“But the Empire’s ships did,” Lex retorted, “And I know for a fact that you’re with them.”

Maeve was interested now. Five on one, and the Paladins knew something about a relic? It sounded rare and coveted, and like it could fetch a lot of money. It was a losing battle for Lex anyway, even if she sided with him like he had paid her to do so.

Oh well, even if she didn’t side with Lex she’d keep the money. From behind, she kicked out and slammed her heel into the back of his knee, forcing him to the floor. He whipped around to glare at her. 

“You’re with them?” He snarled. Looking at the rest, they all had their weapons out. It would be so easy for them to gun him down now if he didn’t leave.

Maeve said nothing, eyeing him evenly with a look. Tyra stepped forward, her brutal rifle raised. “Get out,” She hissed, danger dripping from her voice. 

Even with his skills, Lex could only take down at the most, three of them before the giant turtle smashed his skull into the ground. His only option, other than death, was to flee. 

“You’re lucky this time,” He drawled, before he turned and left. Pushing past the crowd outside, he disappeared into the night, leaving the Paladins to contemplate what had just happened.

The Paladins all wanted to stay and talk, but with the crowd outside the tavern was no place to be. After all, who knew what sort of people were listening in?

“Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ll talk later,” Makoa instructed, leading them out. The Paladins stuck closely behind him, his large frame parting the sea of people at the tavern. All eyes were on them as they left, until they too, disappeared into the dark streets.

Lex walked alone in the darkness until he came across a figure standing in the shadows. He walked up, leaning against the wall of a long-abandoned house. “Let Karne know that Maeve’s with the Paladins now. She sold information about the staff to them. He better move now if he wants to act before they find him.”

The shadowy figure said nothing, just nodding before he melted into the darkness to pass on the message.

 

The Paladins all met back at their ship, the team coming from Frostbite Caverns dragging a tied-up Dredge with them. They all had information to share, some of which was too important to wait until they boarded the ship. 

Furia had already gotten Dredge to agree to take them to the Abyss, so the Admiral got to bringing his ship back into view while Furia watched him closely, the rest of the Paladins discussing about everything that had happened.

“Karne’s been using magic to brainwash people - whole villages at a time. That would include… your mother,” Tyra mentioned to Valera, half expecting the warrior to throw a fit over the news. She was surprised when Valera only frowned, looking troubled but making no move to react.

“I see…” Valera mumbled. “She can handle herself. Right now out priority is on this relic thing everyone’s talking about. If we can get it and summon the dragon, Karne will be no match for us.”

Tyra nodded. It made sense. It seemed that Karne had his eyes on the relic was well, if he sent Lex to try get information on where it was, so if they got it first they could control the powerful monster that could be summoned with the relic. 

The two of them looked at their team, now with a new addition in the form of a small, pink-haired girl. Tyra had told Valera all about Maeve, and the information she had given them. Maeve was talking to Cassie and Talus, and Valera also noticed that Sha Lin, who usually hung out with the two of them, was making a point to avoid Maeve.

“You notice something’s up with him too huh?” Tyra asked. Valera nodded in response. 

“Go see what’s up with him. I’ll go check in with Furia and see what’s taking so long,” Valera mentioned, splitting from Tyra to go check on Furia and Dredge, leaving Tyra to go talk to Sha Lin.

The archer was trying his best to ignore Maeve, but she remained in view so he had resorted to staring out at the frigid sea. Tyra sat down next to him. It was so unlike him to be this way, but things had been a little harsh since the return and exile of the Thousand Hands. 

Tyra decided to start with something simpler instead of diving into the pressing topic immediately. “How was chasing Dredge about? I heard from Inara that Talus ran straight into you,” Tyra joked.

The memory sparked a smile from Sha Lin. “Oh yeah, it was crazy. That pirate’s a fast one and Talus barrelling into you is like a very small goat running full speed into your back.”

Tyra could just picture it, grinning. “So do you know Maeve? Seems like you recognise her from somewhere.”

Sha Lin shook his head. “Just a bad memory from the past. I’ve been to Outpost before, back when I was much younger. From what I hear, she asked for money for information. Guess she hasn’t changed much.”

“How so?” Tyra asked.

“Eh, she just attacked me and stole from me is all. Not a very pleasant thing to think of,” Sha Lin shrugged. Unconsciously, he ran his hand over his face, rubbing his temples. Tyra could almost see the faintest of scars, but she was probably just imagining it. After a moment, the archer regained his composure. “It’s nothing. Just a sour memory at this point.”

Tyra would have asked more, had Dredge’s ghostly ship not materialised out of thin air. It had almost an ethereal glow to it, and Dredge lowered the gangplank. “All aboard, mateys,” He said, half mockingly. “Don’t any of ye dare touch anything on me ship.”

Everyone boarded the ship, including Athena, though her ears were pricked and muscles tense, ready to spring should anything happen. Once everyone was on board and Dredge was at the wheel, he looked back. “Better hold yer breaths.”

The ship began to sink in a very controlled way. The Paladins all took deep breaths as the ship sunk below the sea level, Dredge only laughing at their efforts. He had no need for all of that, for he had no lungs for water to rush into. The ship continued to sink until the water was so dark they couldn’t see a thing, then it began to rise and float.

The ship resurfaced against a black sky, inky and dark with a tower rising high into the void. The tower had all manners of getting up, moving platforms constantly changing and shifting. The water the ship floated on threatened to swallow them whole. 

At the top of the tower was a massive dragon, which Valera immediately assumed to be the relic’s guardian as she noticed the relic floating next to it, but the assumption fell apart as Dredge laughed. 

“Oh, the Abyssal Dragon is here? Then that Oracle must be around. Didn’t realise she took the key,” Dredge muttered. 

Furia’s eyes burned with anger worth more than a thousand suns as the sightless oracle appeared from the top of the tower, staring down at them. 

“I don’t believe it, Dredge. You brought them here to the Abyss?” Seris called down to him. “I’m impressed.”

Dredge scowled. “Can it, Seris. Do you want the mortals or not?”

Before Seris had a chance to answer, the Abyssal Dragon Lord looked down at them. He was massive, towering over everything else. In a deep, growly voice, he laughed. “Bring them,” He commanded.

The waters began to rise. 

The ship cast the Paladins from its deck and onto a floating platform. For a moment it remained still, before jerking and moving up. The murky, swirling waters below continued to rise slowly, forcing the Paladins to keep going up. 

“Forget your twisted little games,” Furia shouted, taking flight from the platform, “Stand and fight me!”

The platforms were getting trickier and trickier to cross with every level they headed up. Some would move erratically, others not at all. The platforms were quick, and waited not for the Paladins to safely cross. Lazaros and Athena had no problem ascending the tower, flying up together, and neither did Talus, whose agility did him well in such a situation. Koga skipped the platforms all together, scaling the side of the tower wall. Buck crossed multiple platforms with each leap, and Inara’s walls provided the rest with the occasional boosts.

Already, the sounds of fighting from the top of the tower were ringing out, distorted, echoing off of nothing. Shouting, screeching, explosions and shots only powered the Paladins on through the devastating tower.

As Talus scaled the tower, ahead of the rest of the team, he heard Lazaros screaming in terror. The Ska’Drin looked off the side of the tower just in time to see the messenger fall, quickly leaping to the side and grabbing the messenger just in time. Athena swooped down a moment later, grabbing both Lazaros and Talus with her. She flew back up to the top of the tower, setting them down. 

The top of the tower was total chaos. Dredge and Seris fought against Furia, Athena, Lazaros, and Talus, and every other Paladin that made it to the top of the tower, and all while the Abyssal Dragon watched with the same amusement of a disinterested child. 

While the fight had started clearly in the favour of Dredge and Seris, the tides were starting to turn, even if only slightly. Even though the Paladins outnumbered the Abyss, Seris and Dredge were in their element here, their knowledge of the tower working in their favour and their strength and power enhanced by the Abyssal Dragon.

As soon as the Paladins got to the top of the tower, they began to fire at the Oracle, the Pirate, and the Dragon. Bullets pinged harmlessly off the Abyssal Lord, pulling a mocking laugh from him at the useless attempts.

Furia was locked in a furious battle with Seris, blocking off the onslaught of soul orbs with her blade as she advanced on the Oracle. When the Oracle was forced to stop casting her orbs for a moment, Furia took it as a moment to strike. Pulling from her defensive position, Furia took a few shots at Seris. 

One of the bullets hit the floor, the other hitting its mark though it did little to stop Seris. Seris just laughed, before she disappeared into thin air with a hollow howl. 

“Damnit,” Furia cursed under her breath. While Seris was gone, she could at least do something about the Abyssal Dragon. It was rising from its position now, and a second later it breathed a rain of fire upon the field. 

The Paladins ducked behind whatever they could to shield themselves from the relentless attack, feeling the heat even from behind cover. Dredge took the opportunity to fire a few pot shots into the fray, though many of them bounced blindly away from the Paladins.

“When it stops attacking, I need all of you to shoot it! Forget Dredge!” Furia ordered, having to shout to be heard even in the slightest. Those that did hear her instructions passed it on to the rest, all of them going still as they waited for the dragon’s onslaught to subside.

As soon as the heat stopped, Furia dashed from her position, lifting herself into the air with a powerful stroke of her wings. “Now!”

The Paladins swung out from their positions, all firing at the Abyssal Dragon. Hundreds of bullets flew, arrows and crossbow bolts joining the fray. 

The dragon, stunned by the sudden attack, didn’t even see Furia’s blade pointed directly at it. Each rune on the side of her blade lit up with power of the Eternal Pyre, and the energy collected at the tip of her blade.

The blast shook the dragon from its core, the infinite energy of the Pyre splitting every atom of the dragon apart. It rocked the entire tower, shaking every bit the Abyss’s reality. When the light was gone, so was the dragon.

Seris reappeared next to Dredge at the end of the tower. Knowing there was no other option without facing certain death with the Paladins, the pirate dove into the Abyssal waters and back onto his ghostly ship while the Oracle just vanished.

Furia lowered her sword as the Abyssal waters below vanished, revealing an exit portal. That was one Abyssal Lord down, which was a victory for her as it was. 

“We better get going soon. Grab the relic and let’s get out of here,” Furia mentioned. She was suddenly hit by the exhaustion, and sat down for a bit while Lazaros climbed onto Athena and flew up to get the relic.

Athena hovered about the relic while Lazaros reached out to grab it. The second he touched it however, it shimmered away from view as if it had never been there.

“Uh… was that supposed to happen?” Lazaros asked. Athena brought him back down, confusion rippling through the group.

Furia stood back up, accepting the hand offered by Lazaros. “I should have known. It’s an illusion to lure you all here. Seris and Dredge must have wanted to claim you all…. Dredge did say the relic had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.” She shook her head.

They were all exhausted. Valera waved it off. “Forget it, I’m not searching the ocean for something that we might not even find. I think we can all agree to just… do without it. Let’s get out of here.”

The Paladins murmured in agreement, wanting to just return home and sleep for a whole day. With everyone okay with leaving, they headed to the portal and went through it, ready to go home.


	31. The End Game

It would be another couple more days on the seas before the Paladins returned to the Empire and Resistance, and they could all agree that they were all sick of travelling on ships for awhile.

As the ship left the frigid shores of Frostbite Caverns, a heavy tiredness set upon it. They were all exhausted, some more than others, and were happy to just go home. Talus, with his boundless energy, clung to the bow of the ship, eyeing the horizon through the little telescope in his grip. 

There was nothing unusual as the ship pulled out of the caverns; just endless ice and water. Talus climbed back onto the ship, folding up the telescope and handing it back to Tyra who was at the wheel.

“Nothing weird out there. I’m gonna go take a nap. Wake me up when it’s my turn to do something,” Talus yawned. He wandered to the back of the ship, heading into the lowers decks presumably to sleep by Athena’s soft fur and feathers.

Tyra was alone at the wheel for a couple more minutes before Maeve appeared beside her. The pink-haired assassin wandered to the side of the bow of the ship, leaning against the ship and staring out into the open waters. She turned around, watching Tyra.

“Need something?” Tyra asked.

Maeve scratched the back of her head. “Well, maybe. Can I ask you something?” She asked in return.

“Sure.” Tyra kept her eyes on the waters in front of her, but she was listening to whatever Maeve wanted to say.

“Am I a Paladin?” 

The question was in itself a vague one. After all, no one had really said anything about Maeve joining the rest, but if Valera hadn’t opposed Maeve’s presence, then Tyra supposed to was a Paladin, right? “Well, you’re here with us are you not? I suppose that makes you a Paladin.”

Maeve looked away, out at the salty waters. “I was kinda hoping you would say no,” She sighed.

Then there was the eternally hated question. “Why?”

“Promise me you won’t throw me overboard for the truth?” Maeve asked, half-jokingly. When Tyra nodded, she took a deep breath. “I heard something about a relic. I wanted to get it for myself, but since it’s apparently gone I… don’t see a reason to stick around.”

Tyra did feel a little betrayed, like Maeve had used them, but she seemed sincere now. And she was a great fighter and informant to have on their side. “I see.” After a long moment of silence, she added in, “I’d hate to see you go though. You’ve proven yourself more than great in battle.”

Maeve shrugged. “Your fight isn’t mind though. I don’t think I’ll stay. You can just drop me off wherever and I’ll go.” She didn’t let Tyra get another word in, turning away from the bow of the ship to settle elsewhere.

Deciding to return her focus to steering the ship, Tyra gazed out onto the horizon to look for other ships or anything. In the distance, she did see something odd. Massive plumes of black smoke rose from an island, but it was too far to be sure.

She looked behind her to see if Talus was hanging around on deck, but he wasn’t. Grumbling, she stomped her foot on the deck floor. “Talus!” She called down.

Talus’s voice was muffled as he replied from the lower decks. “What?”

“Come up here, I need you to look at something for me.” There was another muffled reply Tyra couldn’t really hear, but hearing the hatch leading to the lower decks open satisfied her. 

Talus came bounding up, taking back the folded telescope from her. He extended it, carefully holding it with his tail as he jumped up onto the figurehead of the ship and crawled up, perched delicately on the edge. 

“Check out the source of the smoke. Could just be a forest fire,” Tyra instructed. 

Talus swung the telescope in the direction of the smoke. The island was still far off, but with the telescope he could get a better view. As he looked closer, someone on the beach ran towards the shore and raised a gun to the air, firing a red flare that was visible from the ship, even without the help of the telescope. 

“Someone just fired a distress flare!” Talus reported, “Can’t really see if it’s just trees on fire, but we should go help them.”

“Alright, get back on deck and get everyone up. We don’t know what might be waiting for us on the island,” Tyra instructed. As she turned the ship, Talus ran off to alert the rest.

The ship made its way closer to the island, and Talus came back, climbing back onto the figurehead of the ship. When he looked at the island’s shores again, he saw more people gathered there, jumping, waving, signalling for help.

Then Magistrate soldiers appeared from the trees, mercilessly beating them down. Talus noticed that even though the soldiers had guns, they weren’t used. People were dragged from the shore back into the trees as heavy, black smoke shot up in vicious plumes.

“Hey guys! Magistrate soldiers are on the island!” Talus cried out, bouncing back onto the ships deck. “Magistrate soldiers on the island! They’re pulling people from the shores!”

Valera leaned over the edge of the ship to get a closer look and sure enough, she could see soldiers brutally beating people who tried to get help on the shores.

“We can’t just sail in without them spotting us. Tyra, circle around the island until we’re out of sight. We’ll get down from there and ambush the Magistrate,” Valera ordered.

Tyra nodded, pulling the ship into a further circle around the island. From the distance, it would look like a simple merchant’s ship and hopefully, the Magistrate’s soldiers wouldn’t notice it.

Thankfully, the soldiers on the island were too busy dragging people off the shore to notice the ship, even as it slowly pulled out of sight. Once the ship was out of sight, Tyra pulled it into the shore.

“Check your weapons. I think we’ll need it,” Valera reminded. Above them, the black smoke continued to rise in heavy plumes. The smell of burning could be smelled from the shore.

The Paladins checked and double checked their weapons, ensuring that nothing was jammed, guns were loaded and extra magazines taken with them.

They didn’t bother with putting down the gangplank or anything, just leaping from the ship into the shallow water below. With Valera leading, they headed into the dense, burning forest.

The forest got denser and hotter, the heat radiating through the forest and illuminating the trees with a ghostly orange glow. The forest eventually thinned out, but the heat was really blazing now. 

The Paladins finally made it through the forest, revealing a dark town set ablaze. People were running, screaming for help, some trapped in houses. Further into town there were more screams and shouting erupting.

Smoke hung low over Outpost, the sounds of fire roaring and terrified screams for help bursting all around.

“Split up, and get as many as you can out!” Valera ordered, “Get them to the ship! The trapped ones are our first priority!” 

The Paladins split up automatically into pairs and threes to cover a greater area while protecting each other. They ran from house to house, moving rubble to let trapped people out. People were running from the houses as soon as they were free, crying, coughing from smoke, ash streaked upon their faces.

One of the houses was creaking on itself, even as Talus crawled under the rubble to find the source of desperate screams for help. Buck was outside the house, holding the doorframe open. It bent despite his weight holding it up, sinking and dipping from the heat.

“Talus, hurry up! This whole house is going to crumble!” Buck shouted into the house. He had to readjust his grip as the doorframe sunk lower, groaning and heaving from the flames.

Talus could only barely hear Buck over the roar and crackle of the flames. He didn’t reply, focusing on the cries for help from deeper inside the crumbling house.

The Ska’Drin had to crawl under burning posts and climb over others, trying not to breathe in the choking smoke. As he passed a room, it aggressively blazed, the flames spewing from the room. He ducked to the side to avoid the flames, before pressing himself lower to the ground and crawling along to keep away from the suffocating smoke.

He got closer and closer to the screams for help, getting a couple in sight before he allowed himself to get to his feet and run towards them.

It was a mother and her toddler son. She hugged her son who was wailing into her clothes, both of them streaked with ash and terror. Talus knelt down in front of them.

“Hi miss, we gotta go! Come on, I’ll get you out!” He shouted over the roar of the flames. 

She couldn’t say anything, just nodded through her tears. Talus grabbed onto her hand and led her out of the house, though the entrance was quickly crumbling in upon itself. Buck, with all his strength, couldn’t hold it up for long. 

“Come on!” Talus cried, pulling the woman and her son along.

“Inara!” Buck roared, “I need help!”

The stagalla heard his call, ushering a young couple to safety and directing them to the ship before she parted with them, approaching Buck.

“Talus and some people are in there. The door’s going to crumble any time soon!” Buck told her.

Inara knew what to do. “Stand back,” She ordered, pointing her spear at the ground under the door. As soon as Buck let go, she summoned a wall, forcing the door up. Talus and the people he had rescued ran through right as the entire front wall of the house collapsed on itself. 

“Is that everyone?” Valera called out.

“I think so!” Tyra was peering through whichever houses were still standing. All of them were empty, and people were making a beeline for the ship.

“Get them all back to the ship!” Valera instructed, “I’m going to find Karne.”

“Val, no! The whole place is on fire!” Sha Lin leapt after her as the warrior disappeared into the blazing town. 

Pip was ushering people out of the forest when he saw Sha Lin and Valera disappear. “Damnit. Cassie, help me get people to the ship! The rest of you gotta follow them! Magistrate soldiers are swarming the place! We’ll catch up once we get everyone to the ship safely!”

Tyra nodded firmly, rallying the rest of the Paladins with her as Pip and Cassie went the other way, rounding up the terrified townsfolk and bringing them through the forest to the ship. 

Valera was sprinting down the road now, Sha Lin hot on her heels and still trying to convince her to go back. His warnings were deafened to her as she came across Karne, his back turned to her, watching the town about him burn. He watched as a massive guy in armour and a flame thrower set more things on fire. There was also Terminus, his massacre axe bloodied and covered in gore, smashing them down upon houses and anything else in his way. 

The familiar sound of metal scraping against metal caused Karne to turn around, smiling with amusement as he faced Valera with her sword drawn. The sword’s crystal blade pulsated with energy, ready to unleash its wrath upon the unfortunate soul on the receiving end.

“This ends now, Karne!” Valera snarled. Around them, it was just flames. There was nowhere to run except into them, but that would only lead to a scorching death. “There’s nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.”

Karne laughed. “Sure, my dear Valera, but that’s also the case for you.” Almost like a challenge of who had the most crystals, Karne’s staff glistened in the orange light, covered in crystals from tip to tail that powered the staff more than one could imagine. 

“I don’t need to run or hide, Karne. I’m not a coward like you.” Valera readied her sword, studying Karne’s every movement. Even the slightest twitch signalling that he would strike would set her off. 

His staff did move, as did his gaze, and Valera followed his line of sight. The staff now trained on Sha Lin, who had caught up to her. His bow was drawn, a glistening arrow pulled back on the taut string and ready to fire at a second’s notice.

“Oh, your pet’s come to join us? How nice,” Karne mocked. “Where’s the rest of your pets Valera? Run off with their tails between their legs?”

Valera refused to give a response, which only seemed to provoke Karne more when he didn’t get a reaction like he wanted. 

“Enough!” Valera roared, years of fury growing within her like a ball of untapped energy. All those years of fighting, all the sorrow, knowing that her own mother was under the control of the Realm’s worst tyrant fuelled her, like a volcano waiting to erupt after thousands of years of boiling beneath the surface. “Fight me, coward. This time, you don’t get to run away!”

Karne eyed her with disdain for a moment, before a wicked grin grew on his face. He shrugged, like as if Valera had offered him a deal he didn’t care for. Which in truth, she had. “I was hoping we could end on good terms. Oh well.”

He lunged forward, firing his staff at her. She raised her blade to block the hit, but it never came. Instead, she just heard Karne grunt and a sharp blast through the air, opening her eyes at the last second to see a bright beam of blue light shoot through, smashing Karne aside.

She looked around for the source, unsure if it was friendly or not, until she saw Jenos floating down from the trees with a majestic gun in his hand. He eyed her with those blank, glowing eyes. “I know I said that our paths would not cross again, but it seems like destiny has changed,” Jenos said. “What a curious phenomenon, for someone to change destiny just like that. I’ve brought assistance as well.”

A massive walking tree and a little rabbit-like creature with a two-headed, four-legged serpent thing appeared, with an old lady on the former’s back.

“Oh, thank you dear,” Sera smiled to the tree as she got off. “Ah, just in time to deal with that wretched Karne. Valera dear, I want you to know you’re not alone. This is Grover, and this is Moji. They heard some wretched bastard was setting the forest ablaze.” Sera spotted Karne picking himself up from among the trees, furious. “Ah. That would be him.”

Grover and Moji locked eyes on Karne, their fury at their homes being destroyed much, much more than his. Sha Lin took the opportunity to fire an impaler arrow at Karne’s, the arrow slamming into his arm and into the tree behind him.

“Curse you…” Karne hissed, watching as Grover and Moji advanced upon him. The cruel smile came back as he grabbed the arrow and ripped it from his arm, much to Sha Lin’s horror, throwing the bloodied arrow on the ground. 

In a flash, he grabbed his staff off the ground and fired at Grover and Moji, the blast throwing both of them back. He laughed, half panting. “Four on one huh? And one’s an old woman. I should go easy on you, grandma,” He taunted.

He absolutely regretted taunting her as she rolled up her sleeves. Blinding light rose from her back, taking the form of massive wings of light, and she fired another beam of light at Karne. 

Karne leapt to the side, shocked by what he had seen. “A seraph?” He snarled, “But you’re all gone!”

“Seems like you’re wrong.”

Karne whipped around to see the Paladins all there, surrounding him like a second ring of flames. They were ready, and they far outnumbered him. Koga, Talus, and Cassie were up high in the trees, aiming down at him. The rest were on the ground, surrounding him, but he laughed once more.

“You think I’m outnumbered? That I’m just one person? No, it’s you that is wrong!” Karne hollered. The knight with the flamethrower leapt ahead, slamming into the ground in front of Karne. His face was completely invisible with the helmet, but he was a huge person and towered over all of the Paladins. “Do what you want, Fernando,” Karne idly instructed. The tyrant himself, instead, turned and ran.

Fernando didn’t waste a second more, the flamethrower in his hand spewing flames everywhere. The Paladins in the trees fired down, but their bullets and crossbow bolts only bounced harmlessly off the knight’s armour.

Cassie was perched on a sturdy branch, focused on firing at Fernando that she didn’t notice someone taking aim at her from far behind cover. Koga did however, and launched himself in front of her.

Cassie was nearly knocked off balance as Koga dashed in front of her, shaking the entire branch. “What are y- you’re bleeding!” The hunter swung her crossbow’s aim at the direction the bullets had come from. firing down. Whoever was shooting had been nicked by the first bolt, and retreated behind cover.

Koga’s shoulder was bleeding, but he shrugged it off. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Stop touching me Cass,” Koga growled. Her touch only made it worse. “Just cover me for a bit while I patch myself up.”

He slunk off to the other side of the tree where he faced nothing but burning forest, producing a small first aid kit clipped to his belt and bandaged up his shoulder. Blood still seeped through, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. 

“Keep firing at him. I’ll go down and deal with him myself,” Koga ordered, climbing down from the tree. Stealthy as a shadow, he crept along the overgrowth while Cassie continued to fire at their assailant.  
Valera had no gun, but she couldn’t just sit around and wait for Fernando to stop before she attacked. She was ready to rush out at him, damn if she got burned, but a piercing screech stopped her as Lazaros and Athena shot through the sky right over her head, slamming into Fernando.

“What the-“ Fernando was surprised by the feathery onslaught, dropping his flamethrower which Athena promptly picked up and flew off with. “Hey!”

Weaponless, Fernando was very much exposed as Valera charged at him with her crystal-bladed sword. Instead of fighting back, he made a run for it. 

Athena held the flamethrower in her talons, shifting it to her beak and handing it to her rider on her back. Lazaros held the heavy thing, balancing it on his lap and studying it. “It looks crystal powered so if I just…” He produced his knife and jammed it into the main crystal’s socket, pulling the other way and forcing the crystal out. The flamethrower immediately died down without its energy source, rendering it useless. “Got it!” 

Athena chirped in delight at the solution as the rest of the useless flamethrower was returned to her talons. With a hard squeeze, she crushed it so that it could never be used, and threw it into the flames below.

The two of them were victorious, at least for a moment before something whistled sharply behind them. Lazaros barely managed to look behind him before a blast of magic shot them both out of the sky.

“No!” Valera screamed as she saw it happen.

Pip raced past her. “I got it! You focus on Karne!”

The vulpin bounced past, keeping his eye on the sky as he tried to estimate where they were going to land. He danced over flames that hungrily licked at him, throwing himself into danger just to save someone else.

Lazaros’s fall was broken by the trees he fell through, landing unceremoniously on the ground, still. Pip looked around for Athena, finding her tangled in the trees and squawking, thrashing around in an attempt to get out though she only made it worse. 

Pip figured Athena could handle herself for a bit. He rushed over to Lazaros, grabbing the boy’s shoulder and shaking him. “Hey. Hey! Laz, can you hear me? Lazaros?” As Pip rolled him over he noticed the side of his head bleeding. A lot. “Ah hell…”  
The one that had fired at Cassie and Koga was a man in his forties or fifties by the name of Viktor, with a nasty scar running along one cheek. As Koga crept along the blazing trees, hiding in the stark shadows, he seemed to know something was up. 

The second he glanced away, Koga sprung out and slammed his full body weight into Viktor. He was shoved back with a hard kick, but as his enemy was about to throw himself onto Koga, the assassin unsheathed a set of claws, forcing Viktor back.

Koga lunged his hand forward, forcing Viktor back further until Koga could stand up. The Lost Hand noticed Cassie still in the trees, trying to get a good shot at Viktor though she was blocked by his cover. 

Koga knew what he had to do.

“Come on, what’s the matter? Afraid of a little fire?” He slashed his claws out again, fiery whips of fire launching from the sharp, superheated claws. Viktor sidestepped it, scowling. 

Raising his gun, Viktor fired at Koga. The white-haired assassin stood still, simply turning to smoke before he snaked away, forcing Viktor after him. 

Koga ran out of cover, making sure he had Viktor’s full attention with taunts and attempts to fire so that he wouldn’t notice Cassie still in the trees. 

What a shame Koga couldn’t stay like this forever. He eventually had to return to a physical form, and Viktor’s storm of bullets was relentless. A bullet grazed his chest, ripping a shred into his clothes where blood quickly started leaking from, and another tore into his leg, forcing him to stop. 

Viktor’s onslaught did eventually stop as he lurched forward, looking down to stare at a crossbow bolt buried deep into his chest. Koga, panting, did not let his guard down until he was sure the threat was gone. Marching up to Viktor, he unsheathed a set of claws again and jammed them forward, straight through Viktor’s neck. The wound instantly cauterised with the heat, so he didn’t die instantly, but Koga offered him at least that mercy when he pulled out his gun and shot him right between the eyes. 

Only when the body slumped to the floor and Koga was sure that Viktor was dead did he dare lower his gun. Cassie was running over now as Koga couldn’t hold himself up anymore, especially with a bullet in his leg. He sat down, panting from the fight.

“Oh sweet lord, are you okay?” Cassie asked, kneeling down besides Koga.

“Peachy. Just great,” Koga drawled sarcastically, to Cassie’s relief. If he had the energy to be sarcastic, he probably wasn’t mortally wounded or anything. Still, he couldn’t really walk with a shattered knee cap. 

Cassie took his arm and put it around her shoulders, hauling him to his feet. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere safer.”  
Valera had decided to chase Karne down. She ran tirelessly through the flames, her rage acting as rocket fuel for her. She chased him until they were at a true dead end, with nowhere to go.

Valera was done. She didn’t hear any of the insults and challenges thrown at her by Karne, only seeing him as her mortal enemy. She didn’t feel anything but hate, and rage, and anger towards him. She didn’t have to think to react to the blasts of magic fired at her, blocking each hit easily with her blade.

She wasn’t a hero here, no. She wasn’t a saviour, or a protector, or a Paladin when she stood off with her greatest adversary. She wasn’t doing it for justice or for the Realm. For so long she had been selfless, acting for the good of others and for anyone but herself.

Now, she was letting herself be a little selfish. She was a cold, lean, killing machine, and Karne was just a target to her. A simple objective.

To kill.

Another blast near her shook Valera back to reality. Suddenly, she could hear and feel again, but she felt no sympathy for Karne, even as he had turned from challenging her to trying to persuade her to stop.

“Come on Val, you won’t have to do this. Remember how we were friends? I just want to go back to that,” Karne blabbered. He was backed up against a wall, completely unable to go anywhere. “Don’t you? Don’t you want peace? That’s what a Paladin wants, isn’t it? We can stop everything, forget about it all, and just go back to the way things were.”

“Forget about it Karne,” Valera snapped, “to hell with your lies and treachery. I’m doing the Realm a favour by getting rid of you.”

She blocked another blast of magic with her sword, hearing an audible crack. Looking down at her blade, it was pulsating with more energy than it had ever stored. With every hit of Karne’s magic, the sword absorbed its power and was overcharging.

Everyone knew what overcharged crystals did. 

Karne got the same idea, blasting another powerful beam of magic at the crystal sword the same time Valera threw it at him.

“Valera no!”

The blast was so loud and so blinding that it could be heard all the way from the Empire, leaving ears ringing everywhere across Outpost. The power of the blast threw both Karne and Valera back, striking Karne unconscious. Valera blacked out for a few seconds before she sat up, pushing something heavy off her.

When her vision cleared, she never wished more to be able to turn back time. Lying across her lap, covered in blood, was Sera. Hundreds of shards of broken crystals pierced her back. If she wasn’t there, Valera would have been dead.

“S-Sera?” Valera choked, unable to believe it. “No no no no no no NO!” She shrieked.

The Paladins came running, as fast as they could manage with their injuries. Many of them were bleeding, bruised, and exhausted, several more severe than others. None of them were spared from some injury or wound.

“Come on Sera please, you can’t leave us like this!” Valera cried. Tyra noticed that she sounded like a little girl when she was grieving. “Get up, please.” Her words were barely audible now as she cried, hot tears streaking her face. 

Barik took the time to tie Karne up before he awoke, but he couldn’t help but watch as Valera hugged Sera’s bleeding body, crying into the old woman’s still body.

Talus slowly approached, his eyes red and hot with tears as well, horns scratched and chipped from the fight. He had spent by far the most time with Sera back in the village, helping her to pick apples and plant new trees in the orchid. He loved to hang out with her and talk about life and everything under the sun but now… she was gone. He placed a hand on Valera’s shoulder, staring at Sera’s lifeless body. For a moment, he tried to be strong when Valera couldn’t.

After a long, quiet moment, Inara approached too. She knelt down next to Valera, Talus, and Sera’s body. “Valera, we have to go. We will bury Sera’s body and give her a proper send off, but we must go soon before Karne wakes up.”

Valera slowly nodded, wiping her face with the back of her palm. As she looked at the rest of the team, she realised how bad things had gone. Koga couldn’t even stand without support, and Lazaros was completely out. The rest all had varying degrees of severity to their injuries, but many of them needed help and fast. Ying, Pip, Jenos, and Grover had done the most they couldn’t, but rest was still needed.

As important as a proper burial for Sera was, she had to prioritise what was real now, and that was getting her friends help. However, she found that she couldn’t speak well enough, her voice still broken by tears. “I….” 

Makoa stepped forward, coming to rest by her. “Do not worry. I know of a talented healer who lives not fear from here. I can bring those that need help to him and you can settle Sera’s burial,” The ancient one offered.

Valera just nodded, not knowing what else there was to do. She and Inara just got to work on the burial with Pip, Barik, Cassie, and Buck staying to help as well, while Makoa led the rest of them away from the dying forest.


	32. Calm Beyond The Storm

Getting to the home of the healer Makoa knew of would have only taken a few hours, but it took them almost a whole day because of the injuries sustained among the group. Athena was carrying Koga and Lazaros, the latter having woken up half way with a concussion. The griffin herself was not in the best shape, her left wing drooping low and dragging against the swampy floor below them and unable to put pressure on her talon, which made walking very hard. 

 

They had gone north from Outpost into swamp territory, where the air was warm and humid even in the late evenings, any solid-looking ground was actually mush, and everything was wet. 

 

It was awful. 

 

The sun was already setting again by the time they got to a little village nestled deep into the swamp, on a tiny bit of dry land that surprisingly, wasn’t soggy. The Paladins were all exhausted, out of supplies, but at least a lot of the bleeding had stopped.

 

The village had no ordinary people, no. Instead of people or elves or even trolls and orcs, there were half-snake, half-human people. Many of them had the heads and shoulders of humans, and the bodies of snakes. They stared at the Paladins with slitted eyes as they passed through, but did nothing to stop them. Some offered sympathetic smiles at the sight of beaten warriors.

 

Makoa stopped outside an unassuming tent made of straws, sticks, and mud. “Wait here,” Makoa instructed, disappearing inside the hut. Everyone took a seat on the ground, beyond exhausted and ready to just sleep on the ground, damn the wetness. 

 

The Ancient wandered inside the hut, finding one of the few human people inside. Well, assuming this guy was human. He lacked the serpentine body many others outside had, and instead had the body structure of a human. There was however, no other sign that he was human, for he wore a mask that showed no real face.

 

The mask was sharp with a set of horn-like structures branching off from the sides, much like antler though they did not curve and only had short spikes. The diamond-shaped eyes framed a crystal on the mask, the crystal the same colour as feathers on the top of the mask. There were no other features on it.

 

“Makoa,” The masked figure greeted. A green snake with nasty fangs slithered around its body. 

 

“Mal’Damba,” Makoa greeted back, “I know it’s a little rude to disturb you like this, but I have friends that need your healing expertise.”

 

Mal’Damba stared at Makoa for a bit, silent. “How many?”

 

“Seven people and a griffin,” Makoa replied.

 

Mal’Damba’s attention was caught by the idea of a griffin. They were extremely rare out here in the swamp, and a tamed one at that! How exciting. “Very well. Bring the most severely injured ones inside.”

 

The witch doctor turned around to set up the hut while Makoa went back outside. “Koga, Lazaros, come inside.” He supported them using his shell as something for the two of them to balance on, walking considerably slower to accommodate mostly Koga, who was wincing with every step.

 

There was a strange aura about the hut. Maybe it was how oddly clear it was despite the heavy swamp fog outside, or the sweet smell of herbs mixing around in the air. Maybe it was the music they swore they could almost hear, or the snake watching them from the top of a shelf of clear jars. 

 

It was certainly because of the masked man staring at them with unblinking eyes and a tilted head.

 

“Lie down,” Mal’Damba commanded to both of them. He turned his attention to Koga, eyeing the source of dried blood on his shirt. He didn’t have to say anything for Koga to seem to get the message. The warrior’s eyes followed the strange man’s down to his shirt, and got it. 

 

“Right,” Koga muttered, undoing his shirt and tossing it aside before lying down on one of the low beds. 

 

Almost immediately the shaman’s attention was shifted to the shelf, offering his hand to the snake on the top of the shelf. It slithered onto his wiry arm, curling around his waist with its tail. The healer reached up for a gourd-shaped bottle with a stopper. The bottle itself had colourful designed etched into the surface of the bottle. He unstoppered it and poured half the contents into a dry coconut’s husk, and the other half into another husk.

 

Makoa watched with silent interest as Mal’Damba offered both the Paladins one half of the husk each, sloshing with the green liquid and fizzing slightly. “Drink it. It’ll help you rest.”

 

Lazaros was too tired to care about the taste, downing the entire thing before placing the husk aside and rolling over to sleep, his back facing the rest of the room. 

 

Koga however, couldn’t help but gag at the acidic taste of the green concoction. It tasted like what he imagined a pool of acid mixed with sewage to taste like. “Jeez, what the hell is this? It’s awful.”

 

“It’s venom from my cobra,” Mal’Damba replied casually, like it was no big deal, but Koga was ready to spit it out. “Don’t worry, it’s diluted so it won’t poison you or anything. It’ll speed up the healing process and help you sleep.”

 

With a scowl, Koga swallowed the rest of it, coughing violently at the vile taste, but within minutes he was already getting tired. At least the taste had faded, and it was completely gone by the time he blacked out.

 

“Is that really venom?” Makoa asked, once the hut had fallen silent.

 

Mal’Damba took another gourd off the shelf. “Yes. It’s from my snake. You remember her, I’m sure.”

 

“It’s not easy to forget those eyes,” Makoa muttered, eyeing the snake still wrapped around the witch doctor’s arm. It lifted its head up to eye Makoa with those striking purple eyes, tongue flicking out.

 

Mal’Damba returned with a bowl of hot water with a couple of tools at the bottom of the bowl, and a gourd carefully held between his hands. He pulled up a short chair and sat down next to Koga’s bloodied chest, letting his snake onto the floor.

 

“I thought you’re all about spiritual magic healing or something,” Makoa commented. He had met the witch doctor before, and had never seen him this technical.

 

“Spiritual magic healing doesn’t pull bullets out,” Mal’Damba replied simply. They lapsed back into silence again, Makoa just watching intently.

 

Mal’Damba worked quietly and intently, his snake retreating back up the shelf to sleep. The whole time, Koga and Lazaros were completely still, and Makoa decided to leave an hour later as Mal’Damba was just finishing up with Koga.

 

Outside, the rest of the villagers had taken the liberty of helping the rest of the Paladins with whatever they had, even if it was just offering water to the Paladins. Grover was testing Athena’s wing, which no longer drooped along the floor. A few of the Paladins had fallen asleep, taking whatever time they had to rest up before having to return to the Empire. Makoa retreated to a tall tree, settling under it in the shade and retreating into his shell to rest as well.

 

The sun was rising when Makoa woke up though the air had gotten considerably colder, popping out from his shell. Some of the Paladins were still sleeping, so Makoa decided to go check in on Koga and Lazaros. The former was already awake, marvelling at the lack of any scars on his chest. The griffin tamer however, was still asleep, sprawled out on the bed unceremoniously. Mal’Damba was also gone from the room.

 

“How are you feeling?” Makoa asked as he stretched. 

 

Koga reached out for his shirt that had been nicely folded and left on the chair, shrugging it on. “Good,” He muttered, “Tired though.”

 

Makoa nodded, wandering over to Lazaros and nudging the boy. The redhead flipped over, propping himself up on one arm and rubbing his eyes. “What’s up?” He asked.

 

“Feeling better?” Makoa asked.

 

“Yeah fine I guess,” Lazaros yawned. He sat up, stretching his back. “Are we leaving?”

 

Makoa was about to respond when Mal’Damba came back in from outside. “If you want to go, you better go now. The cold is coming in fast, and you’re not done yet.”

 

“What do you mean?” Makoa asked.

 

“A corrupt king is coming home. You really must go soon,” Mal’Damba hissed again. He couldn’t get more vague than that, but the message seemed to drive home.

 

“Koga, Lazaros, get the rest of the Paladins up. We need to leave soon,” Makoa instructed. Koga leapt to his feet, ready to go, but Lazaros wasn’t so enthusiastic about moving though he did anyway.

 

As Makoa was leaving, he heard Mal’Damba behind him. “Nothing is permanent, not even the immortal hands.” Makoa didn’t understand, but didn’t ask further. The witch doctor was always vague.

 

Koga was getting the Paladins to their feet, waking up those that were still sleeping. Lazaros was still yawning, leaning against Athena who was happy to see him again and lazily saddling her up.

 

Then they realised that… they didn’t have horses, or really any mode of transport, because they had taken a ship and then walked here.

 

“We have to walk, don’t we?” Talus asked, the question everyone had but no one wanted to say. “Can we like, borrow horses or something?”

 

“I don’t think they even have horses,” Tyra replied. It was true - they hadn’t seen a single horse the entire time. Snake-people didn’t need horses to get places.

 

“Yes, you’ll have to walk,” Mal’Damba commented from the door frame of his hut, “but the cold is coming in, so go fast. You’ll get to a small town with horses in a day and a half if you go straight west, over the mountains.”

 

The mountains in the distance looked pretty daunting. She wasn’t concerned about the cold, but more about scaling it without any tools. “Isn’t there a way around it?” Tyra asked, but Mal’Damba shook his head. The warrior huffed. “Mountains it is.”

 

They had enough food and water offered by the village’s inhabitants, and whatever extra necessities they could afford to take with them, which wasn’t much, given that they had to hold most things on hand once Athena was to bogged down.

 

“Let’s go. We still have a few hours of daylight and I want to get as far as possible before the night comes,” Makoa instructed. He rallied the rest of the Paladins to him, before they headed west, the way the witch doctor had told them to go. A day and a half of travel wouldn’t be so bad, not even with light snow.

 

By the time sunset came, the Paladins had reached the base of the mountain and were just beginning to travel up the gentle base slopes. Light snow was falling around, and it seemed to refresh everyone. 

 

Talus, Ying and Lazaros ran ahead, playing in the soft blankets of pristine snow. Athena jumped about, leaving deep imprints where she threw herself and dusting herself and anyone near her with snow. Tyra felt so at home in the cold as opposed to the desert heat, and Koga felt peaceful out here. Even Sha Lin, accustomed to the hazy heat of the desert, was refreshed by the cool air and snow.

 

Makoa figured they could allow a little bit of time to just hang out for awhile, and perhaps make camp here for the night as the sun began to dip down below the horizon and reveal hundreds of stars in the sky.

 

“We’ll make camp here tonight. I don’t think we can get much further before it gets pitch black,” Makoa muttered to himself. There was a small outcrop in the side of the mountain that would provide decent shelter, though the sky looked fairly clear so he didn’t think they needed to find more shelter. 

 

Makoa enlisted the help of Tyra, Koga, and Sha Lin to help set up a temporary camp and make some warm water. There were a few dead trees nearby they got wood from, and with the help of Koga’s claws, managed to get a fire going behind the outcrop.

 

Once the last light had disappeared beyond the horizon did Talus, Lazaros, and Athena head in. Athena was too big to fit into the sheltered area, but was well equipped to withstand the cold so she was perfectly happy to stay outside. Lazaros slept with her, under her protective wing.

 

Within minutes, the camp was quiet.

 

* * *

 

Lazaros woke up to a vicious cold. Athena had stuck her head under her wing, nudging Lazaros awake. “Huh…? What’s wrong girl? Jeez, it’s freezing.”

 

He pulled himself out from under Athena’s wing and was immediately hit with a blast of icy, cold wind. Every time he breathed, the cold stung his nose and lungs. The sky above was darkening, threatening clouds rolling over the horizon. The snow around them was hitting hard like bullets, except that thankfully, they never pierced flesh.

 

Everything around was pitch black and he couldn’t see a thing. The storm behind him was coming in hard, but it seemed like no one else was reacting, or they didn’t realise. 

 

He continued to stumble around in blind darkness until he saw the embers of the fire from the evening, hurrying towards them. The Paladins had all retreated further into cave unknowingly, wrapping themselves in whatever blankets they had. Makoa had retreated into his shell, huddling up for warmth.

 

“Guys, wake up!” Lazaros hissed, though in the dark of the outcrop he wasn’t sure who he was talking to exactly. Two steps in, he tripped over something, or someone.

 

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Koga growled, pulling himself into a sitting position. He unsheathed his claws, offering some light in the cold dark. “Why’s it so cold?”

 

Lazaros pulled back his leg, glad for the light as he was just a second away from stepping on Tyra’s hand. He knelt down, pulling his scarf further up his shoulders. “Storm’s coming. We need better shelter.”

 

“Sure feels like it,” Koga muttered, getting up. The wind was getting stronger with every minute, and if they didn’t leave now they were going to get buried in snow very soon. “I’ll get the rest up. You make sure Athena isn’t freezing out there.”

 

Lazaros hurried back out, brushing snow off Athena’s fur. The griffin was still bright eyed and very poofy, fluffing up her feathers to stay warm. She trilled, standing up as Lazaros blindly found his way back out. He felt around for her saddle, tightening it again. “At least you’re feeling good about this,” Lazaros muttered.

 

Koga reappeared from the outcrop with the rest of the team, of which only Tyra seemed completely unbothered by the cold. The wind blasted against them, making talking very hard because every time someone opened their mouth, they were greeted with a lot of snow. 

 

“We’ll move up the mountain,” Tyra ordered, her back facing the wind so that when she cold speak without being hit with snow. “There has to be shelter.” She turned back around, pulling her cowl further up her shoulders and bracing the wind.

 

Koga walked up front with Tyra, his claws unsheathed to provide what little light he could offer. and they headed up the mountain and into the storm. 

 

Lazaros pulled out the Athena’s reins from its buckle, turning the loop into a single long strap. It flapped violently in the wind as Lazaros pulled his scarf even further up his shoulders, covering his nose and mouth so he could speak without getting assaulted by snow immediately.

 

The rest of the Paladins only heard vague shouts over the screeching wind, though the message the beast tamer was driven home as he trudged over through the thickening snow, shoving the loose end of the reins into their hands. It seemed like his idea was to get as many people to cling to the line so make sure they stayed close and that no one got left behind. Sha Lin, Ying, Talus, and Lazaros held onto Athena’s reins tight, trusting that the griffin pulling them along could see the faint light of Koga’s claws in the distance as they travelled into the freezing night.

 

* * *

 

The Empire of the Golden Sun was in shambles. Buildings all around were on fire, charred to ash, hundreds Magistrate soldiers patrolling the palace walls and thousands on the streets.

 

Karne’s forces were brutal, and Karne’s plan had worked. He had successfully split up the Paladins, even if he lost some of his greatest soldiers, he still had more. And what was a few people, compared to being able to claim the Empire throne? And more importantly, the Royal Vault?

 

Valera had even done half the work for him. She thought he had fled back to Stone Keep. She thought he would tuck his tail and run, cutting his losses before he lost too much to the point where fighting Valera would be too difficult. She had taken a whole ship full of rescued people back to the Empire, where his troops were already waiting.

 

It wasn’t just a hundred soldiers, or anything Valera could easily take on her own, or with her group. On the shores of the Empire, hidden, was a thousand soldiers, and they overtook the ship as soon as it docked.

 

He was delighted to know that they had thrown Valera, Pip, Barik, Cassie, Inara, and Buck into high security prison, and locked any resident of the Empire that didn’t have the sense to run away.

 

When he arrived at the Empire, he already knew what to do. On his command, the Royal Vault’s door was blown open, revealing thousands of crystals, ready to be reaped. He could feel the power and the energy surging from the vault, like an avalanche. It hit him so hard, and it felt so good.

 

He fitted his staff with as many crystals as it could, keeping lots of them on his person, and enhancing his power a hundredfold. And with his magic, it was time to do something about all those people living in the Empire.

 

He had been practicing a new spell for a long time now, and with the crystals he stole from the vault, it was much more powerful. A brainwashing spell, one that could force hundreds of people to work for him and do as he pleased. And with all those citizens of the Empire that hadn’t managed to escape before being locked away, Karne now had thousands of people at his command. They may not have been soldiers, but they were very useful for menial tasks, and how disposable they were! There was no need to risk his soldiers to do dangerous, menial tasks when there were a few thousand slaves he could use.

 

He enjoyed his life. He enjoyed lounging about the palace, for the Empire had one of the most luxurious palaces across the Realm. He enjoyed going down to the dungeons to taunt Valera, but he lost interest quickly as none of the imprisoned Paladins gave any response.

 

Admittedly, he wanted the Paladins to show up and fight. He was getting awfully bored with half of his mortal enemies locked up, and the other half goodness-knows-where, far away from the Empire. With a grunt of boredom, he tossed his robes aside and soaked himself in the indoor sauna for the third time that day.

 

* * *

 

Athena woke up, to darkness. It was heavy around her, like she was covered by a massive blanket, but it wasn’t warm, no. It was super, super, awfully cold instead.

 

She fought against the heaviness, pushing against the darkness around her until she found light. She stuck her head out, finding herself almost entirely buried in snow. She wiggled out, violently shaking her wings about once they were free from the horrible snow. 

 

Something pulled against her as she stepped free of the snow. The griffin looked behind her, finding her saddle strap buried in snow. It snaked under the heavy blankets of snow, and the harder she pulled, the harder it got. 

 

Giving up on trying to yank the strap free, she instead twisted her head around and bit at her saddle strap, over and over until it started to thin and fray where she was repeatedly tearing at it, until the griffin broke free.

 

She leapt away from the saddle, shaking herself off. for the first time, she looked around and saw where she was. In the middle of a snowy crevasse, gleaming icicles hanging off outcrops and dripping away in the sunlight. The horror of last night’s blizzard had calmed into a beautiful, bright morning, the blasting snow turning into plush sheets.

 

The blizzard. She remembered what happened the night before. The snow, the darkness, the sharp snow and ice hitting her face and her flanks. The tug on her saddle, the weight holding her down. Lazaros, under her wing, curled up, wishing for the snowstorm to stop.

 

Lazaros! She leapt back to her saddle, digging furiously into the snow with her paws. She threw snow under her in a panic, flinging it everywhere in a small flurry. 

 

She came across a dark coat, nipping at it with her beak and pulling Tyra out. The griffin’s face fell as she realised it wasn’t Lazaros, but figured that Tyra could help. Trilling, Athena nudged Tyra. There was no response, so she did what was natural to her and licked Tyra to warm her up.

 

That got Tyra up immediately. “Oh- whaaaat is going on?” Tyra muttered, being pushed about by a rough griffin’s tongue. “Athena- no, stop! I’m fine, get off me.” She pushed the griffin’s beak aside before Athena could lick her face, looking down at her cloak in dismay as it was covered in griffin slobber.

 

Athena ignored Tyra’s reprimand, immediately bounding to another spot, sniffing the snow, and digging furiously as Tyra looked around in confusion. “Athena, where are the others? You’re looking for them, aren’t you?”

 

Tyra hurried over to Athena’s side as the griffin squawked, having found the tip of Makoa’s shell in the snow. The griffin continued to dig furiously, throwing snow all above while Tyra tried ti dislodge the Ancient from the snow.

 

As soon as Athena decided that Tyra could handle it herself, she leapt away again and began to dig somewhere else. Athena pulled Talus out on her own, rolling the Ska’Drin over and giving him a few rough licks to warm him up.

 

Tyra managed to get Makoa out from the ditch Athena had dug them into, explaining the situation before they too, went to look for the rest of the Paladins. Talus freed Sha Lin after finding his scarf in the snow, and Koga was somewhere further up the crevasse and got himself out. Ying melted her way out of the snow with her mirror, freeing herself.

 

Athena went further down the crevasse the way she assumed they came from, though everything looked the same around them, lowering her beak to the snow occasionally to try pick up a scent. She found something in the snow, bounding over, and finding a crystal-bladed dagger in the snow, and she started to dig furiously around for Lazaros.

 

She found him, buried deep in the snow, and dragged him up onto the surface by his scarf with the help of Makoa. With a few hard licks, Lazaros was pushing her away. “Hey, hey! Girl,you know this doesn’t wash out. Come on now.” Using Athena as support, the young man pulled himself up, looking around the crevasse.

 

The Paladins looked about, realising that everything looked the same no matter which way they looked. Makoa frowned. “Well, we better get moving and use as much daylight as possible,” He grunted, picking a random direction he assumed they hadn’t come from yet and setting off.


	33. The Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character deaths. 
> 
> And here we are, there's just one last chapter to go, and the epilogue, and A Realm Divided will finally come to a close, one year+ after it first began. Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey, for putting up with my long spiels of not updating, for loving my content and supporting me. It's been a fantastic journey, and I look forward to continuing with the second book in this series.

It took days for the Paladins to get out of the mountains with the snowstorm blocking many paths that could have cut the journey short. As soon as they had reached the town at the base of the mountain like the witch doctor Mal’Damba had said, they paid to take the horses and raced off through expansive plains and hills.

 

Almost a week had passed by the time the grass below the beating hooves of horses turned into dirt, then into sand, and the Empire of the Golden Sun sat against the bright horizon.

 

The sight brought the Paladins momentary relief to see that it hadn’t essentially burned down, but were very, very disgusted to see hundreds of Magistrate flags hung all around. Several buildings were definitely smoking, dark plumes rising into the clear sky above. 

 

“Hell, we gotta find a way in,” Koga muttered, “Off your horses guys, they’ll see us if we get any closer on horseback.” 

 

Sliding off his horse, he walked the horse over to a small patch of trees, releasing the mare’s reins to let it graze. The rest of the team joined him, sitting down in the cover of the trees to brainstorm how they were possibly going to get within the city walls. 

 

Tyra sat down, her back aching from riding horseback all day. “We can stay here until sunset to try and get inside. Karne’s definitely got soldiers patrolling the walls, I’m pretty sure Koga can scale the walls and try to grab some armour for us.”

 

“Can we wait until the night?” Makoa asked. “Who knows what Karne had already been doing in the last few days.”

 

Koga shrugged. “I can get the armour within the hour, but we definitely have to wait until tonight. While I’m at it, I can scout around and see what he’s done and where he is.”

 

“Sounds good. Give us a time frame to come looking for you if you’re not back,” Tyra replied as she loosened some of her armour and took off her fur cape to combat the heat.

 

Koga smirked. “Guess you don’t trust me enough to come back?” He joked, “But in all seriousness, three hours at the most. I won’t be any longer than that.” 

 

The assassin got up, unsheathing his claws to make sure they were working before he left, turning into a lone shadow amongst the desert. 

 

He kept low to the ground, darting from one rock to another’s shadow to keep out of sight from any guards that happened to look over the city walls. Lucky for him however, the Magistrate’s soldiers had been getting complacent without seeing any Paladins for a week now, and were slacking whenever the Grand Magister wasn’t around. They lazed along the walls, only glancing out every so often, and complained about the desert heat. 

 

They were so preoccupied whining, that no one noticed the shadowy assassin creeping along the city walls, scaling higher and higher.

 

“Man, I have no idea why the man wants this damn place. It’s got nothing but sand storms and this blistering heat,” Koga could hear one guard complain as he got closer to the top.

 

“Tell me about it,” Another whined back, “Can’t wait until he’s done with those damn Paladins and lets us be done with this stupid patrolling stuff. I-“

 

“What are you doing?” Someone shouted, causing Koga to press himself against the wall and hope that it wasn’t him this new voice was talking about.

 

“Sir! Uh… I was… um…” The guard who had just been complaining stammered, caught slacking off by his superior. 

 

“Don’t think I haven’t heard the two of you gabbing for the last five minutes. We didn’t put you up here to talk like girlfriends,” The gruff soldier replied. “You’re both coming with me.”

 

“Yes sir,” The two complaining guards replied. Koga waited until their footsteps had completely faded before he continued to scale the wall. There were only two more guards along the wall now that two were gone, making his job much easier. He crept along the side of the wall until he was positioned right under one guard on the far side.

 

Unsheathing one set of claws, the guard only heard the soft sound of metal against metal before he found the heated claws jammed through his throat, and his body went falling off the wall the next. 

 

The other guard on the other end of the wall saw this and came rushing over, only to find that it was a mistake as he went falling over the wall with three gaping holes in his throat. That was two sets of armour out of seven.

 

Checking the wall once more, he swung down over the other side, using his claws to keep him clinging to the wall. There was a balcony below, and he was ready to drop down onto it, but he stopped as he saw a guard walk out onto the balcony, then back in.

 

Lowering himself, he pushed himself out with his legs and swung in, his legs connecting with some guard’s head as he did so. Koga was quick to dispatch him with a swift blow to the neck, skewering the guard with his bloody claws. 

 

Realising he didn’t want to drag the entire body back upstairs, he quickly dragged the man out of sight, before removing any important pieces of armour off the body and shoving the body into an empty room he found.

 

Going this way, he kept making it through the city which swarmed with guards, picking off whoever was near and stashing their armour away for him to pick up on the way back while he got closer to the palace. 

 

It was in his best interests to be inconspicuous as he got closer to the palace and Karne, so on his last set of armour, he quickly put it on over his clothes and sheathed his claws, hiding them completely and closing the visor so he wasn’t easily recognisable. 

 

With the armour on, he made into the palace with no trouble, but the problem that lay before him now was finding Karne. 

 

As he weaved through the maze of the palace, he caught on to bits and pieces of conversation, some just bored chatter, others disturbing news of brainwashing people, but nothing about Karne’s whereabouts had come up, much to his frustration. 

 

The whole thing about brainwashing was interesting. It would line up with why Magistrate soldiers weren’t killing people at the burning island from days ago. After all, dead people couldn’t be brainwashed. 

 

Deciding to pursue the matter, Koga followed closely behind one guard patrol to another, hopping silently from one group to another and keeping a low profile until he got to the the palace courtyard, where the truth of the issue was revealed. 

 

From the balcony, he could see hundreds of people in the courtyard standing in neat rows with baskets filled with gold, crystals, fruits, and all manner of gifts and offerings. They filed in with blank stares, kneeling and bowing at a gold statue of Karne before leaving their offerings in perfect rows and leaving. The statue was a perfect replica of the tyrant, and the statue was bestowed with crystals that glowed. All that time, that same blank, glazed over stare remained. They barely blinked, never spoke, as if in a trance. A brainwashed trance to hail to that tyrant. 

 

Koga bit back a growl of disgust. He still didn’t see Karne, but it seemed that the statue’s crystals was doing some of the work in keeping people in that tranced state. The assassin heard some shouting from down the far hallways where someone had found one of the bodies Koga has robbed the armour off, and that was his cue to get out.

 

He continued to keep a low profile and didn’t run. It was too obvious and he would be pounced on in an instant if anyone knew he was there. He collected the armour he has stolen in a bag and hauled it over his shoulder, heading for the last place anyone would expect someone to make a getaway from: The front door. 

 

The two guards stationed at the palace exit stopped him, eyeing him up and down though they didn’t call him out as a Paladin or anything. “Where are you going, and what’s in the bag?” One of the guards asked, his spear crossed with the other guard’s to block the exit.

 

Koga scowled. “Rotten offerings some guys brought. Boss told me to go find who left these and deal with them.”

 

The two guards exchanged a glance, uncertain, but Koga knew how to play the game. “I can turn around and go tell the boss you won’t let me out, or you can have the bag even and do it yourself.”

 

Koga extended the bag, which was stuffed with some rather off-smelling flowers that prevent the armour inside from clinking against each other, and made the bag really smell like rotting fruit and flowers. The guards reared back, not wanting any part of it. 

 

“Uh, no. You can keep it. Go on, get that out of here, it’s stinking up the place,” The guard growled, the two of the pulling back their spears and letting Koga pass through. 

 

“Thought so,” Koga muttered, walking on by. He didn’t hurry anywhere and made a show of not liking his “job” very much, which was enough to keep the guards from pursuing.

 

He had to pass many other guard patrols on the way out, but the sour smell of the bag kept anyone from going too near or asking. People had brought offerings to the statue that weren’t in the best of conditions before, and this was no new happening. Not even the guards at the Empire’s walls tried to stop him after getting a whiff of the bag. 

 

“Go throw that in the river quick, it smells horrible,” One of the city wall guards commented, face scrunching up at the smell which only got worse with the heat of the desert sun.

 

Once he was far enough from the walls, he discarded the flowers and buried them in sand so no one would find them, and walking back to the edge of the forest.

 

The smell still lingered on the sack, and it was the first thing Athena noticed with her sharp sense of smell, and the wind blowing it towards her. The griffin stood up, trilling in curiousity as Koga returned, dumping the sack on the ground. 

 

“Jeez, what is that smell?” Talus asked, bounding over in curiousity, though the Ska’Drin hesitated to touch the bag. 

 

The rest of the Paladins came over as Koga opened the tied up bag. “Just flowers to make it seem like rotten offerings. Didn’t find Karne, but I did find something else.”

 

“What did you find?” Tyra asked, starting to put on the Magistrate armour to disguise herself. 

 

“A statue of Karne, made in gold,” Koga briefly explained.

 

Tyra raised an eyebrow. “Sounds gross, but that’s it?”

 

The Lost Hand shook his head. “It’s got glowing crystals all over it, and I think it’s the thing that’s brainwashing people. Everyone except the soldiers seem to be in this sort of trance. They don’t speak, they hardly blink, and I have a feeling they’re not going to be helpful when we siege the city.” 

 

“Brainwashing magic… it’s not a type of rune magic is it?” Lazaros asked, looking to Talus for answers, but the Ska’Drin shook his head. “So it’s crystal magic then? Doesn’t seem like anyone’s really used it before since I’ve never heard of it. SO what’s the plan here, exactly?”

 

Tyra looked at the pile of armour thoughtfully, a plan formulating in her head. “I don’t think all of us can go in disguised. It’s too obvious, especially Talus, Ying, and Makoa. We’ll need a distraction anyway, so Koga, Sha Lin, I will enter disguised as Magistrate soldiers. Lazaros, you and Athena will drop in with Talus and Ying, and Makoa can enter from the river and create a distraction while we find the rest.” 

 

“Sounds like a plan, as long as I don’t have to wear this,” Lazaros muttered, nudging the shoulder plate of a piece of armour on the ground with his boot.

 

Tyra nudged him playfully. “Lucky you,” She mocked. “Alright, we’ll drop in at night. Get some sleep, we’ll need it. This is where we turn the tide… or drown.”

 

* * *

 

A group of guards standing along the city walls yawned, the moon high above the sky. The sun had set hours ago and the moon lazily passed in the cloudy sky. The rain-heavy clouds above were almost pinkish in their heavy patches covering the sky. 

 

Not another few minutes later, the clouds got too heavy to hold back and it started to drizzle, well-deserved rain starting to patter down in the cold desert night. The drizzle turned heavier, causing the guards to grumble as they had to stay in the rain, and desert storms were torrential and violent, even if short. 

 

One of the guards groaned as the rain began to get heavier rapidly, pattering all along the walls and the city. The Grand Magister was probably enjoying a hot sauna away from the storm in the palace, whereas he was here getting soaked in the rain.

 

“What wouldn’t I give to not be in this storm,” The guard muttered, leaning over the wall and peering into the dark, misty night. 

 

His wish was granted by means of sharp griffin talons grabbing him off the wall and hurling him off the drop and into the sand below. Athena trilled as the scream of the guard faded into the night, but the rest along the wall had heard it. 

 

Just as she wanted it. 

 

She dropped off Lazaros, Ying, and Talus on the city wall, her riders getting off her to fight the guards. If this had been a normal mission of going unseen, they would have been much more silent and gotten away with it, but the goal here was to make a lot of noise and pull a lot of guards away, even if Karne found out they were here. 

 

And boy, were they successful in making this fight the loudest, most obvious thing in the Realm. They were taunting and mocking the guards, Athena screeching and shrieking terror at some of the less experienced, less willing guards who fled at the sight of a massive, rain-soaked griffin with a razor beak and amber eyes that stood out in the darkness of the storm. 

 

On the other side of the city walls, Makoa has risen from the depths of an already terrifying, gushing river that streamed into the city with his anchor, dragging shouting guards into the rushing waters that he stood stoically against.

 

While the guards were swept away by the tides, he hardly budged, even as the river raged and the banks threatened to burst with the force of the storm and the rushing water. Here, he was in his element, and not even a hundred guards or a storms of the heavens could stop him. Not as the cracks and dips in his shell crackled with energy. Not as the rage within him rose with the tides. 

 

This left Tyra, Koga, and Sha Lin a clear path to just waltz in unnoticed as guards around them rushed to fight the massive turtle dragging people under the waters of the bursting river, or the terrifying griffin and the other Paladins at the city walls. No one took any notice of the disguised enemies.

 

The three of them headed right for the dungeon, and who did they expect to run into but the phoenix-blood Palace Advisor, Alastor, who was already trying to jiggle the lock pick in his hand, into the lock on the dungeon cell. 

 

Pip was at the cell gate, trying to work through the lock with Alastor, and the vulpin noticed the “guards”, not seeing through their disguise.

 

“Look out!” Pip alerted. 

 

Alastor spun around, chest heaving with fear, but he relaxed the tiniest bit as Koga pulled off the helmet. “It’s just us, relax. What are you doing here?” Koga asked, directing the question at Alastor.

 

“What does it look like?” Alastor snapped sarcastically, “And thanks for the heart attack, scaring me like that.” He jiggled the lock pick again, trying to get it right, but Koga just nudged him away and jammed a burning claw into the loc, splitting the mechanism right open.

 

“We don’t have time for this,” Tyra growled, “Where’s the rest? And where’s Karne?”

 

Alastor threw his hands up in exasperation. “Hell if I know. Valera’s kept in one of the highest security cells deeper in the dungeon. The rest are around here as well. I don’t know where Karne is.”

 

Tyra was already running off down the dungeon, leaving Koga, Sha Lin, Alastor, and the now-free Pip to find and release Cassie, Barik, Inara, and Buck. 

 

“What happened while we were gone?” Sha Lin asked. 

 

Alastor shook his head, sighing. “A lot. Karne stormed in with thousands of his soldiers. I told the army General that he had complete jurisdiction of the matter since I don’t have any military expertise, and he fought bravely. We cut Karne’s numbers down by hundreds, but once he killed the General a lot of the morale disappeared. People tried to flee, but he raided the royal vault of all the crystals and used it to enhance his power a hundredfold. He’s been using the power to brainwash the residents into his service.”

 

“How did you get out of it?” Sha Lin pressed as he sawed through a chain holding Cassie’s cell closed.

 

“Faked my death,” The advisor shrugged, “it was the only way to make sure Karne didn’t try use his magic on me. A lot of people really thought I died, and that was it. Any hope the people had of getting out of this was gone because after the General, I was the last official of the entire state.”

 

Koga got between them. “Great story, can’t you use your magic to break out the Paladins?” He demanded. 

 

Alastor frowned. “I wish I could, or I wouldn’t be picking locks with wires. I don’t have the book, Karne took it. Without the book, I have no power. Which is why I said I wasn’t a mage. How did you all get in anyway?”

 

Sha Lin couldn’t help but grin. “One griffin and one angry turtle,” He responded, leaving the palace advisor to wonder how those two things went together. He knew about Athena, but an angry turtle? He shook his head. Never mind, if it worked then how bad of an idea could it be?

 

Tyra returned with Valera and Inara by her side, who looked no worse for wear except some bruising. Koga and Sha Lin had freed Barik and Buck as well, and everyone was here. 

 

It was time for the final battle. No more games, no more tricks, no more running. Under a desert storm, it was life or death. 

 

There would be no more second chances.

 

* * *

 

The weapons taken from the Paladins who had been locked up in the Empire’s dungeons were stored away in the armoury which was an easy fix, for no one wanted to stop a rampaging griffin that ripped open steel bars of the door like it was a twig, and Lazaros was flying over with Valera’s sword and Pip’s Launcher. In Athena’s careful talons were Talus and Ying, with Inara’s staff, Barik’s Blunderbuss, and Cassie’s Crossbow. Athena had also smashed open the brass birdcage Zigs was in and released the firebird to return to his owner. 

 

The path to the palace was clear. The steps of the palace were littered with sopping wet bodies, blood running down the steps in thin streams with rain mixing into the red. Lazaros, Athena, Talus, and Ying returned the weapons collected to their rightful owners and Makoa joined the rest of the Paladins at the bottom of the palace steps.

 

The storm continued to rage from above, as Valera stepped forward, yelling into the thunder.

 

“Show yourself, Karne!” 

 

She scowled as the Grand Magister appeared from the palace doors, looking down at them. His staff was adorned with hundreds of crystals, as was his cloak and armour, all channelling energy into him. 

 

Karne didn’t look surprised to see the Paladins. He had no fear, not when the power of hundreds of crystals were making him nearly invincible. He just raised an eyebrow, and smirked devilishly.

 

“Oh, if it isn’t the last stubborn resistance group. I was wondering when you’d show up, you know. I’ve been bored without you guys bothering me all day,” Karne mocked.

 

Valera’s lips curled back in a snarl. “This is it Karne. Tonight, one of us walks out alive. No tricks, no games, no fleeing. This is a fight to the death.”

 

Karne pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, amused by her. “Bold words, Val, but you have a deal. No tricks, or games, or running away. But you see, it’s not fair if I’m one man and you’re, what, ten? More? So just to even out the playground a little…”

 

He snapped his fingers, and the floor began to rumble as Terminus appeared, his massacre axe and stony hands covered in blood.

 

That was not all. A short haired woman in a battle suit that doubled her size with a nasty cannon appeared. Tyra had seen her before, the day Terminus died.

 

Then, a massive man encased in armour. He had been there too, on that fateful day in the village the Paladins called home. A tall and lithe lady appeared next to him, with a rifle with its barrel made of blue crystal. She had white hair grey eyes that stared down the Paladins.

 

One last man appeared, a tall, bald, bearded man who would have looked rather jovial, if not for the wicked smile and glint in his eyes. In his hand was a massive rune gauntlet, and seeing that set Talus off. 

 

The palace steps exploded into battle as soon as Talus leapt forward, running right for the man with the gauntlet, screaming something about taking back what was rightfully his. The man wasn’t sure how to react at first to such a tiny… thing, running right at him, but it became apparent how strong the Ska’Drin was as soon as he punched the Runic Sage right in the face. 

 

Karne watched in amusement from where he was as the Paladins engaged in a vicious fight to the death with his allies, whom he had promised power to if they could destroy the Paladins in a fight. What a perfect opportunity to do so.

 

He didn’t plan to engage in the fight, but Valera ignored everything around them and went right for him, much to his surprise, annoyance, and amusement. She didn’t hesitate in slashing her sword down, but it slid off one of the crystals embedded in his cloak. 

 

Karne glared at her, furious. “So you want it this way? Very well, I will not deny an old friend the death she deserved,” Karne hissed, blasting his staff right at Valera. 

 

Karne was fast, and the blast more powerful than anything Valera had ever seen, but Valera was even faster, and Karne was predictable as ever. He made no effort in trying to fool her and his every move was apparent, his next move predictable. It was easy for Valera to evade his strikes, but not to strike back. 

 

The white-haired Scion of House Aico Lian was standing near Karne when the fight broke out. As Valera advanced on Karne, she grabbed the elven warrior and dragged her back to the ground in a swift motion. Valera didn’t hesitate to raise her crystal-bladed sword and smash Lian’s rifle aside.

 

“Enough!” Karne roared, raising his crystal-embedded staff to the storming sky. A bolt of electricity shot from the tip of the staff, and around the palace, the city began to stir. Blank faces had been called to battle, and they began to make their way to the palace, knowing their only command.

 

_Kill._

The brainwashed citizens of the Empire became a part of Karne’s vicious party. They weren’t particularly strong or fast. If anything, they dragged their feet very much like zombies, but the sheer fact that there was just so many of them was terrifying.  

 

“Kill them!” Valera yelled back at the Paladins, “Don’t try to spare them!” Karne just laughed at her attempts, blasting another strike of magic at her. The force of the blast sent Valera tumbling down the stairs, aching and bruised, but certainly not defeated as she got back up, panting, furious. 

 

“Still getting up Valera?” Karne mocked, blasting at her again. “Still think you have a chance? Give up Valera, and I’ll make your death quick and merciful!”

 

“As if you know the meaning of mercy!” Valera snapped, reflecting the next shot of magic with her sword. The blast bounced back, hurtling straight for Lian and the palace. 

 

The explosion rocked the palace, but the fight didn’t stop. Karne glared behind him at Lian who struggled to pick herself back up, but his attention briefly returned to Valera, who marvelled at the discovery of being able to reflect Karne’s magic. He’d have to play careful now.

 

Then, his attention was taken again as a shadow zoomed by in the stormy night sky, an axe flying out of the shadows and slamming into Primus Khan’s back. The Primus’s armour blocked the armour from actually piercing through, but he was distracted enough looking around for his hidden assailant for Koga to leap up into his shoulders and jam heated claws through the armour.

 

Guess Karne’s army wasn’t doing as well as he expected, but as the possessed citizens began to get into the fight, they hindered both the Paladins, and Karne’s lackeys from progressing against either side. 

 

Khan had to look all ways for attacks. A walking tree appeared from the shadows with another axe, hurling it right at him, and there was Koga clinging onto his shoulder with those claws stabbing his shoulder, and bullets flew from all directions at him. 

 

“Over here,” A voice whispered.

 

The Primus turned around, swinging Koga off. The assassin went tumbling right into Tyra, knocking the both of them other along with some zombie-like people who swarmed them, only to get gunned down and cut open.

 

Khan came face to face with the owner of the voice, and locked eyes with Jenos, before a blinding light bright enough to light up the palace steps like it was day time flashed, and Jenos channeled the power of the universe into one final attack on the man who had dared to disturb him. 

 

The blast of starlight and cosmic power disintegrated Khan, and hundreds of people standing in the path of the blast, leaving nothing behind. Not even the armour was left behind. 

 

Karne was incredulous, having watched the hulk of a man get instantly disintegrated, but he didn’t make a move to pursue Jenos and continued to attack Valera.

 

The Ascended helped Koga and Tyra up, destroying the people trying to keep them down with a gun made of the stars. “Do you know where Sera is?” He asked.

 

Tyra accepted Jenos’s hand and got up, wiping some blood from her lips. “Sera? She died, why are yo-“

 

“Just tell me where she is,” Jenos demanded.

 

Tyra reloaded her weapon, shrugging aggressively. “Outpost, that’s where we buried her, near the shore.” 

 

Jenos was gone in an instant in a flash of light, reappearing in the burned shores of Outpost. The trees were charred as was every building near the shore. Smoke was just beginning to fade from the island.

 

Jenos could only imagine the lives and livelihoods lost here, but none of that matter. He travelled the length of the shore and the destroyed forest, searching for Sera. 

 

He found a small bump in the ground and reached down into the dirt, his hand phasing through the ground. Below, trapped in the confines of her mortal body, Sera took his hand and allowed Jenos to guide her from her body.

 

Sera emerged from the grave, not an old woman. She was a beautiful lady, twice Jenos’s height as was all seraphs. She had golden hair that sparkled like the sun reflecting on clear water, a pale, gilded robe draped around her body, and two pairs of massive feathered wings spreading from her back.

 

“Ah, Jenos, how lovely to see you again. Thank you for releasing me from my mortal body,” Sera bowed her head to the god of the stars. 

 

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jenos’s lips. “She served you well, didn’t she? But we must hurry, the Paladins are in trouble.”

 

Sera’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

 

“Karne has enough power to erase the Realm and anything that exists right now,” Jenos briefly explained, teleporting back to the Empire of the Golden Sun.

 

* * *

The Paladins were losing the fight. Each and every one of them had sustained injuries. Yes, they had successfully put Lian out of the fight and Jenos had erased Khan from existence, but Torvald, Ash, Terminus, and Khan were far more powerful, stronger, and less exhausted than any Paladin. 

 

Valera was tired, her limbs heavy and not wanting to agree with her. Each block and parry of Karne’s magic was getting weaker and he had hit her a few times, but not enough to kill her. He was going to play with her, wear her out, until she begged to die.  He didn’t care what happened to the rest. 

 

As Valera tried to regain her strength, the Grand Magister blasted her again, pushing her to the ground. The crystal sword slid from her grasp, and Karne picked it up.

 

“What a fine piece of craft,” He marvelled at the sword, looking back at Valera, who struggled to pick herself up. “How ironic would it be if you died by your own sword? I was going to play a little longer with you, but…”

 

Valera stared defiantly, spitting blood at Karne as he raised the gleaming sword, and plunged it down at her. 

 

The sword clattered to the ground, away from Valera as Karne went crashing to the ground in a flurry of screeching and feathers. Athena had dive bombed right for Karne to stop him, and violently thrashed and scratched again him with her talons and beak. 

 

Panting, Valera pushed herself to her knees and forced her every muscle to work with her and grab the sword. Every movement hurt, but she forced herself to get her sword back. Her legs gave way, but she managed to stretch and grab the hilt of her sword. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the remaining of her strength to swing the sword at the brainwashed people standing above her and trying to keep her down, slashing at their chests and torsos to drive them back. 

 

Tyra came running over, gunning down the rest of the blank-eyed monsters trying to get at Valera. “Come on, get up!” Tyra urged, but Valera shook her head.

 

“I’m tired,” The elf muttered, unable to find any more strength. This was it. She could only lead the Paladins so far, and her body had taken too much to want to get up again. 

 

Tyra did not agree. “No, no you’re not giving up now!” She hissed, throwing one of Valera’s arms over her shoulder and hauling the exhausted elf to her feet. Valera didn’t even try to fight it as Tyra dragged her off somewhere safer.

 

Athena was still ravaging at Karne, snapping and biting at the crystals on his cloak and staff. Her talons scratched at the seams holding the crystals to the cloak, snapping them off.

 

Infuriated, Karne shoved his staff under the griffin’s chest and blasted, throwing the griffin off him with a squawk. Athena fell back, chest fur and feathers burned.

 

“No!” Lazaros yelled, abandoning his fight against the War Machine Ash to run over to his griffin. Athena lay in the sandy dirt, eyes closed, her feathers and fur stained with blood and dirt. 

 

Lazaros crouched by her head, placing his hands on her beak. “No, no no no no no, please Athena, you can’t leave me, you can’t- no, please, don’t, I-“ He choked on his own tears as Athena didn’t respond to any of his begging. She didn’t suddenly get up with those bright eyes teasing him for falling for it, she didn’t pounce on him with those rib-crushing talons and lick him and cover him in slobber, she didn’t squawk and make that weird half-laughing sound at him or roll over and beg to be brushed. 

 

Athena was dead. Lazaros refused to accept it, he refused to take the reality as he knelt down and buried his face into her feathers, choking back sobs. He didn’t see as Karne got up and charged his staff, pointing it right at his shaking back.

 

“Bye bye, Paladin,” Karne sneered, firing the staff right for Lazaros and Athena. 

 

The blast shook the ground and the palace, but when the smoke cleared, both Lazaros and Athena were still completely intact. A barrier of light protecting them faded, and Karne looked around, furious.

 

Something tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned around, Sera hurled a lightning fast punch right at his face. He fell over, hurling abuse at the seraph.

 

“How the hell, are you still here?” Karne screeched like a child, getting up and grabbing his staff. “I killed you!” 

 

Sera rolled her eyes. Her duty now, was to distract Karne as much as possible so that Jenos could heal the injured, while chaos continued to rage around them as the Paladins continued to fight to the death with Ash, Terminus, and Torvald. 

 

“You’d think someone able to almost take over the Realm would be a little smarter,” Sera spat, “seraphs are immortal. Didn’t they teach you that in preschool?”

 

Karne was beyond furious, but he wasn’t giving up. He began to fire blasts after blast rapidly at Sera, who exchanged every hit with another of hers, but she wasn’t aiming for him, exactly, no. Every hit of hers was focused and targeted like a laser at the crystals that adorned his cloak and his staff. In his fury, it took Karne awhile to notice the power in his staff was starting to decrease. Each blast he fired was getting slower, and weaker, and his cloak was missing quite a few crystals that had been turned to ash from Sera’s strikes.

 

Knowing that he couldn’t beat Sera in a fight, he turned to flee, but found his movements restricted. He was lifted into the air with an invisible grip, and looked down to see the Palace Advisor with the phoenix spellbook in his hands.

 

“You?!” Karne screeched, “Why do you people keep coming back to life? I killed you!”

 

Alastor scoffed, tightening the grip. “If you had been able to see further than your own nose and weren’t blinded by your ambition, maybe you’d have known it was a trick.”

 

Jenos appeared with Valera, who had been healed enough to stand up and walk on her own. Then, as the rest of the Paladins finished off Torvald and subdued Ash, they too, joined their leader to stare at the struggling but helpless Karne.

 

“What should we do with him?” Koga asked, coming up besides Valera.

 

The battered and bruised warrior looked up at Karne, who glared daggers at her. “Get rid of his crystals. Shoot them, make sure he has nothing, and give me the staff. I’ll destroy it.”

 

Having heard their orders, the Paladins took aim and fired at Karne, destroying each and every crystal on his cloak and staff. Arrows, bullets, crossbow bolts, axes all hurtled straight for the crystals, though a few missed on purpose for good measure. 

 

With every crystal destroyed, Karne could feel his power draining. The Paladins spared him none, and only when every single crystal had been shattered and turned to ash did Alastor let him down. The only crystal left was the one one the top of his staff. 

 

Weak and now powerless, Karne could only try to reach for the staff as it was taken by Sera, but Lazaros stormed up and stomped on his hand. Karne let out a howl of pain, but the boy wasn’t done yet. He pulled out his crystal dagger, and Sha Lin stepped forward to stop him, but Valera raised her hand. She wanted to see what Lazaros was going to do. 

 

Lazaros grabbed Karne’s collar and dragged him near, the tip of his dagger pressing dangerous against the broken tyrant’s throat. “What did you do to my family,” Lazaros demanded.

 

Karned grinned a wicked and bloody smile. “What did I do? I remember your family, my boy. You’ve always had my attention from the day you gave yourself up to me. I knew your family, from the thousands of faces in the crowd. And I tore any sense of hope they had from their hands. 

 

"I made them tear themselves apart from the inside. Your sister, remember her? I made her kill your mother unless she wanted to hang. I made your father watch, and it tore him up to see it. I made your father work until he wore himself out, and I made him keep working. Want to know how he died? He killed himself, so he could stop suffering. Shot himself in the head.

 

“And your sister died from exhaustion from working all day, all night. She- Argh!”

 

Lazaros swung the blade across Karne’s face, furious, devastated, destroyed. He had no one left. Not even Athena now. Blood welled up on Karne’s face, and he just smiled. “You can kill me, boy, but you’ll never get back any of your family, or your stupid griffi-“

 

Lazaros pressed the blade against Karne’s throat again, pushing on it ever so slightly. He was a second away from jamming the knife into Karne’s neck, when Valera put her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. “Don’t, Lazaros. He doesn’t deserve death.”

 

After a moment, Lazaros pulled back and sheathed his dagger. He quietly turned from the rest of the group, walking back over to Athena’s body and sitting down next to her, back turned to everyone else.

 

Sha Lin watched him, then quietly went to sit with Lazaros as well, figuring he needed someone in such a rough time. Valera drew her sword and raised it over Karne’s head, and bringing the flat edge down hard on his head. Karne fell over, out cold. 

 

“We’ll lock him up in the dungeons, and he’ll rot there for the rest of his life. He shouldn’t be able to bother anyon-“

 

“Oh sweet volcanoes, we still have a problem!” Talus suddenly yelled, as Terminus shoved himself out of a pile of debris, staring at the Paladins. Right, of course it wasn’t done.

 

Inara stepped forward, knowing it had to end. Terminus would just keep coming back over, and over, and over again. As much as it would pain her to do this, she could not let him come back again if the Realm was to ever be at peace.

 

The Stone Warden raised her staff and a huge boulder came crashing from the sky, smashing the fallen Stagalla. The core however, remained intact, and she took it, jamming it with a piece of debris so that it wouldn’t reanimate Terminus again. 

 

She sighed. “I’m sorry, old friend, but you must be locked away and cannot return.” Her eyes searched the Paladins for anyone that could lock the core away safely, and brought it to Jenos, who received it carefully. “Please, keep it safe,” She requested.

 

Jenos nodded, opening a rift in the universes and casting the core through where it would float forever in the expansive darkness of space, billions of lightyears away from anything else. “Of course. It won’t come back, but it will never be touched by anyone again.”

 

There was still the staff, but Sera knew what to do. She looked to Valera for approval first, and the elf nodded. “Do what you must.”

 

Sera took the staff in her hands and channeled her energy through it. With so much magic contained, the staff began to crack and split, and in a flash, the staff had broken in two and the last crystal on it, shattered.

 

Around them, the remaining citizens left standing began to wake from their trance, amidst a destroyed home. They looked around in confusion, and began to talk once more, asking each other if they remembered anything, why their homes were destroyed, and what had happened

 

Thousands of people had no home now, and no shelter, but hope seemed to rise with the dawn that peeked over the horizon, as the rains lightened up. For once, in a long, long time, the Realm had awoken to peace. And just for a moment, the sun seemed a little bit brighter. 

 

Valera sighed, rolling her aching shoulders back and sheathing her sword. She sighed, as the dawn began to paint the city in a pale wash of blue. 

 

Her eyes drifted over to Lazaros and Sha Lin, who still remained seated by Athena’s body, and she felt awful. She looked to Sera, hoping the seraph had some solution. 

 

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Sera asked solemnly, watching as Lazaros reached out to stroke Athena’s head. 

 

“Can you do something about it?” Valera asked in return, her hopes a little brighter as Sera smiled. 

 

“Perhaps,” The seraph replied, wandering up to the dead griffin. Lazaros didn’t take his eyes off Athena, emotionless and empty. 

 

The seraph stroked Athena’s soft but damp feathers. “She’s quite beautiful,” Sera commented. 

 

Lazaros smiled sadly. “She is. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her now,” He sighed. 

 

Sera smiled, placing her ethereal palm flat against the griffin’s head and searching for a flicker of energy. She just needed the tiniest flame, and she could make it burn bright once again. The seraph searched the griffin’s body, and just when she thought Athena was gone for good, she felt it. There were still dying embers that could be brought back. 

 

All they needed was a little encouragement and energy. Sera lent her energy to the embers of Athena’s soul, making them burn again, and slowly, the fire within her began to grow. 

 

Athena stirred, a low trill forming in the back of her throat. Lazaros gasped, unable to believe it. He had some doubt, that it was just a trick of his mind in denial, but that doubt was dashed when Athena opened one bright eye, twinkling at Lazaros.

 

“Athena!” Lazaros cried with glee, throwing his arms around the massive griffin as she purred and trilled in delight. She pulled up a wing and hugged Lazaros with it, licking him all over and squawking.

 

For a moment, Lazaros turned to look at Sera with teary eyes, and whispered, “Thank you.” He hugged Athena tight,  telling her how worried he had been. “I knew you’d never just leave me like that, huh girl?” Once Lazaros released Athena from his hug, she went bouncing around, greeting everyone with licks and sniffs and familiarising herself with them once more.

 

Sha Lin grinned as Athena excitedly sniffed him and he rubbed her beak, crooing over how good of a girl she was. When she ran off to greet Talus, the Desert Wind walked over to Valera.

 

“Guess it all works out, huh?” Sha Lin smiled as the unfamiliar cold of the storm was chased away from the hot desert by the blazing sun. “I can’t believe we’ve actually done it.”

 

Valera still looked troubled, despite the victory. “Well, there is one last thing, and I’m not sure if we can do this.”

 

Sha Lin raised an eyebrow. “What’s left to do?”

 

Valera sighed. “Our promise to King Karos, remember? We haven’t found and heir, and I don’t know who would even want to be an heir to a kingdom that’s essentially in ruins.”

 

The archer thought about it for awhile, then a grin formed on his face. “Actually, I can think of one person that’s very suitable for the job. Come on, we’ll go somewhere else to talk about it, and get Alastor in too.”

 

Sha Lin was already making his way up the palace steps, and Valera figured to just follow. She grabbed the Palace Advisor along the way, and disappeared into the remains of the palace, here, in the Empire of the Golden Sun.


	34. The New Age

Alastor hurried down the halls of the newly rebuilt palace, his shoes clacking against the patterned marble floors. Were things already going wrong, on this important day? He had to hurry, for a crowd had gathered at the palace steps for the coronation. The same palace steps, where the end to Karne’s tyranny had happened months ago. 

 

In those following months, the Paladins had been hard at work to rebuild the destroyed city. The people had worked hard to rebuild their homes and the city, and while progress was slow, here they were, months later, with a proper home once more. 

 

Some things still had to be done, and a lot of affairs within the palace had been chaotic with the planning of the coronation, handing over the late King Karos’s property to the Empire’s new ruler. For Alastor, these few months were perhaps, almost as chaotic as the last few weeks when the Empire was under Karne’s rule, with tons of paperwork and meetings and schedules and arrangements to be done.

 

The Paladins had not only helped in rebuilding the Empire, but had gone out to apprehend the remaining Magistrate soldiers that had fled from the fight and brought them back for justice. The same had been done with House Aico’s soldiers.

 

Karne, Lian, and Ash had been locked up in the Empire’s prison, where they would stay until a proper plan on what to do with them had been devised, or so was the case fo Lian and Ash. Karne would stay in prison and rot until his final day on the Realm.

 

Even with Karne gone, things were still in chaos for those few months, but they were finally sailing smooth again. Officials from other regions allied with the Empire were here today, in the rebuilt city, to view the coronation and the new ruler.

 

Alastor had made tons of arrangements to find and get all the Paladins and their allies to come for the coronation. That included Jenos, which Alastor had to personally ride to Ascension Peak to find the god, the sentient tree Grover and the odd rider of the two-headed dragon thing Moji. He had to find an elusive angel by the name of Furia which had almost involved him with the Abyss, and a witch doctor living in a far-off swamp called Mal’Damba.

 

These were people named by the Paladins as allies, and Alastor had been through a lot to get them all in the same place, at the same time, but if he was lucky, his hard work would have paid off.

 

He heaved a sigh as he reached a tall pair of doors, and looked down to straighten his robe quickly. He cleared his throat, and knocked on the door once, before opening it.

 

Valera was seated on the plush bed, aggressively polishing her armour for the event. She looked up, surprised to see Alastor at the door. “Already?” She asked, incredulous with how fast time had passed. 

 

Alastor dipped his head. “It is time,” He replied. 

 

Valera set her polishing tools aside and put on her armour once more, which shone in the light, and left the room with Alastor by her side. 

 

The two of them walked the halls of the palace until they reached a balcony beyond another pair of doors. Standing behind these doors, no one on the steps could see who was behind. The rest of the Paladins and Athena were already waiting, and looking their best. Gear had been polished, hair nicely done, outfits perfectly clean. Valera couldn’t help but smile. Even Athena had a new collar, embedded with jewels. 

 

Valera turned to Alastor. “Am I ready?” She asked, unsure.

 

Alastor chuckled. “Ready? Valera, you lead the Realm’s only hope to being saved. I think you’re more than ready.”

 

Then, Sera appeared, in her true form. She wore an elegant white gown and royal purple and gold trimmings, her wings pure and white, her hair flowing like a calm river. She smiled at the sight of the Paladins.

 

“This is exciting, isn’t it? Today marks the start of something new. We’ve all come very far in this journey, what with all the rebuilding, and the catching of the remaining Magistrate soldiers, and all the planning. I’m glad you’re all here today to celebrate as well.” Sera turned to Alastor, nodding to him. “We’re ready.”

 

Lazaros took the pillow and carefully placed it lying flat in Athena’s beak, and balanced the crown on it carefully. “Don’t drop it, okay?” He reminded Athena. “This is the real deal now.” 

 

Alastor took a deep breath, and exited the doors and onto the balcony first. Below him, the thousands of people that had come to watch fell silent.

 

The advisor looked out onto the courtyard as thousands of eyes were on him, excitedly waiting for him to speak. 

 

“Ladies, gentlemen, citizens of the Empire of the Golden Sun. It is on this day, that you were invited to watch the coronation of our new ruler. For too long did the Empire go without a ruler after the passing our the late King Karos the Fifth. In his honour, please have a minute of silence,” Alastor commanded.

 

Below him, everyone bowed their heads in complete silence for a minute, then looked back up.

 

“It is with my deepest pride, and greatest honour to invite the Empire’s future ruler, heir to the throne for her grace and fairness, Sera.” 

 

From behind the doors where the Paladins were waiting and Athena still delicately balancing the crown on the pillow, Sera relaxed her shoulders and pushed through the doors, right into the view of the city below.

 

Not many people were expecting her. She was twice the height of a person and those massive wings were certainly not human, but the Realm had seen stranger things, and the crowd erupted in roars of cheer and applause from the city below. 

 

Alastor gestured to the door once more, and announced, “May the Paladins, saviours of the Realm, join us.”

 

One by one, the Paladins filed out of the doors and onto the balcony. The cheering and applause only got louder, whoops rising from the crowd. The Paladins were to one side, while Jenos, Furia, Mal’Damba, Grover, and Moji were to another. Athena was the last to exit, dutifully balancing the crown on the pillow like Lazaros had instructed her to do so. 

 

There was some gasps and laughing as the people saw a griffin bearing the crown, but Athena focused on her job and only on that one job, carefully bringing the crown to Alastor. 

 

“Sera, it is with the blessing of King Karos the Fifth and all our rulers before him that you receive this crown. May you lead our kingdom to greatness for many generations, and do what is right, just, and fair. Sera, please receive the crown of the Empire,” Alastor announced. 

 

Sera had to kneel down to be able to receive the crown. Alastor took the crown from the pillow and Athena visibly relaxed from not having to balance it precariously further, and Alastor gently fixed it onto Sera’s head.

 

As she rose, Alastor bowed to her. “All hail Queen Sera!” 

 

The crowds erupted into a three-time chant, shouting “Long live the Queen!” It could be heard from every street, from the palace steps, from houses and rooftops. When they were done, Queen Sera raised her hand, commanding silence. 

 

“Citizens of the Empire of the Golden Sun, it is my honour to be able to serve you. Months ago, the Realm emerged from a long night. That cannot be credited to me only, and today is about the Paladins as much as it is about my crowning. We’re here to honour them as well, and give them the credit they deserve. Valera, please step forward,” Queen Sera commanded.

 

Valera went to the front of the balcony, in full view of the city. Queen Sera nodded to her, and she turned to the Empire’s watchful eyes.

 

“I am Valera, leader of the resistance group known as the Paladins. I know I served you once, a long time ago when the Realm was in chaos, and war. When we entered the Golden Age, I stepped down from the Paladins and allowed Karne to take over. Over a year ago, I took up the flag of the Paladins once more.

 

“When the Realm descended into chaos once more, there had to be one pillar of strength. The Realm turned to the Paladins once more to be that, and the flag went up again. The flag that meant peace and justice for the Realm. I embarked on a journey to find peace for the people again, and the first person I met, was also the first person I wanted to kill when I found her.”

 

Valera looked behind her, beckoning for Tyra to join her. The Frontier warrior looked surprised, but went forward anyway after Athena nudged her with her wing. 

 

“Tyra, the Untamed. She was the first to join me on this journey we have gone on, and no matter how I treated her at first, she never retaliated because she knew the truth. Then we met Sha Lin, the Desert Wind.”

 

Sha Lin joined them at the balcony, a grin on his face.

 

Valera looked back down on to the people below. “I’m sure a lot of you have heard the tales of the legendary, invisible archer, maybe even spoke to him and had him help you. We would never have progressed without him.”

 

Valera spoke of her friends, the people she had met and those she had lost. The people watching got to know each and every Paladin, and their allies and friends, how they had joined the group and who they were. When Valera was done, she sighed.

 

“I would not be standing here today if not for these people. I wouldn’t be speaking to you know if not for Queen Sera, King Karos, and Alastor. I have so many stories to tell now and it’s all because of the incredible, wild journey I’ve been on. The Paladins, they’re my family. It is my pride to have been able to serve. The Paladins will not disband this time. We will remain in service of the Realm, to serve and deliver our promise of what the flag means. Justice, and fairness for the Realm.” 

 

The crowd below erupted in shouting and cheer, roaring their cries of glee and support into the morning sky. Valera had made her promise, and for many, many generations, the Paladins would remain a pillar of hope for the people of the Realm.

 

* * *

A month had passed since Queen Sera’s coronation. A lot of work had to be done still, and there were still Magistrate soldiers hiding out in the darkest corners of the Realm who needed to be caught and brought forward to justice. 

 

For one, Queen Sera had given funds to refurbishing the old village the Paladins called home, the little village called Resistance. The village had expanded its horizons and became more efficient. Many of the Paladins continued to live there, and often times travelers on their last stretch before reaching the Empire would stop over at the newly constructed inn for food and rest. 

 

Valera’s family and village had been slow in reconstruction, and the elf did not see a reason for the to stay in the middle of the Enchanted Forest anymore. She brought her family closer to stay in Resistance, where Valera’s mother Eloen now ran the humble village inn. Valera herself would travel constantly between the Empire and the village, but was always nearby when not on missions. 

 

Tyra had initially planned on returning to the Frontier a long time ago, but had decided to stay when Valera had said that the Paladins weren’t disbanding. The Frontier warrior was often called to duty in chasing down warlords and teaching new, hopeful members of the Paladins.

 

Some decided not to stay under the desert sun. When Jenos was no longer needed, he returned to Ascension Peak and Buck followed him, though the latter promised to be there when the Paladins was needed. Grover and Moji returned to the Enchanted Forest, while Mal’Damba went home to his village, and Furia continued on her quest against the eternal Abyss. 

 

Cassie went home to her parents too, but she too had given her promise to return to the Paladins when she was summoned. 

 

There were still many that remained behind, and had property left to them. Queen Sera had left the dwarf mechanic Barik in charge of the Deepwerks, and he opened it to public use once more and lifted all the bans on what could it built. It began a bustling, open source for creators alike to tinker and create whatever inventions they pleased. 

 

Whole communities got a better life too. With some talking to the Advisor, Talus and Makoa had successfully brought the Ska’Drin community under the Paladins's and the Empire’s protection. The small Ska’Drin community came to live in the village of Resistance as well when the volcanoes ravaged their island. As for the two Paladins themselves, they too lived in the village. Makoa would bring bountiful tides to the rivers for fishing, and Talus spent his off-duty days helping the elves and the Ska’Drin in the village with picking fruits, studying rune magic, and playing with Athena whenever the griffin was around. 

 

Queen Sera had offered better positions for some of the Paladins who she thought would do well. For one, she appointed the sweet elven healer Ying as the Head Healer of the palace, though Ying continued to work as a Paladin. She lived in the palace itself, and taught new healers the ropes and her craft. 

 

Pip had returned to Brightmarsh for awhile to try to live there again, but no other vulpin returned to the abandoned town and he eventually came back to the Empire and bought a small house which he turned into his little lab and continued to play with chemistry and alchemy. 

 

Inara stayed in the village and served there, though she often struck out on her own to help towns and villages that were in need. Whenever she was around, she found great company in Valera’s mother and would at times, help her there. 

 

For some, life didn’t change all that much. Koga remained as a Paladins and technically lived in the village, though he wasn’t there all that often for he continued to pursue his own quest in finding the man who betrayed him in the Thousand Hands Guild, which had since dispersed since the disappearance of the leader Zhin.

 

Life hadn’t changed much for the Empire’s famed archer, Sha Lin, who lived in the Empire again and went on quests with Lazaros to topple warlords, return lost artefacts, and catch criminals. 

 

Crystals had also been returned to the people, or at least, whatever could be salvaged. The royal vault was still bare, but at least as many people as they could manage had their crystals returned. The Paladins had also found many more stashes of stolen, intact crystals hidden across the Realm, presumably where Karne would have wanted to collect from at some point.

 

Things however, were about to change for the last unspoken member of the Paladins, Lazaros. As he rode back into the city on the back of his best friend Athena, an arrow whizzed by his head and slammed into the ground. Lazaros looked around, finding the archer crouched on the top of a fountain with his bow in his hand, smiling.

 

“Really?” Lazaros snapped, “Can’t you ever just call me if you’re trying to get my attention? How many arrows do you want to shoot at me?” The ex-messenger yanked the arrow out of the ground, hurling it back at Sha Lin. The arrow didn’t get too far before flopping back onto the sandy ground. 

 

“I’m just playing,” Sha Lin grinned cheekily. “Meet me at the palace, I think Sera’s got something to say to you.” Before Lazaros could question him about it, the archer disappeared into thin air, only barely visible from the way the market stall tarps bent and sagged as he ran along.

 

Lazaros wondered what exactly the Queen could want with him. He wasn’t in trouble, was he? Nudging Athena, he directed her into a walk across town to get to the palace, mind racing with questions and thoughts on just what he had done.

 

Some of the palace doors had been redone to allow Athena to fit through, so Lazaros didn’t have to make her wait outside or anything. He dismounted and loosened her saddle strap, walking in with her. Sha Lin appeared from a corner, gesturing for Lazaros to follow.

 

“Am I in trouble?” Lazaros couldn’t help but ask.

 

Sha Lin laughed. “Trouble? No, why would you say that?”

 

Lazaros shrugged. “I don’t know, I just can’t think of why else Sera wants to see me.”

 

Sha Lin pushed open a door, taking Athena’s reins from him and gesturing for him to go inside. “Who said it had to be a bad thing? Go on, I’ll wait here with Athena.”

 

Lazaros took a deep breath, before entering the room, his mind still racing. Queen Sera was there, reading a book, but she stood up when Lazaros came in. 

 

“Ah, hello Lazaros. Have a seat, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about,” The Queen mentioned, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf in the office.

 

“What’s this about?” Lazaros asked, pushing back the chair at the table and sitting down. It was an incredibly soft chair, but it did nothing to help him relax, still thinking that he was in trouble. 

 

Sera steepled her fingers. “I suppose I shouldn’t keep you waiting. Lazaros, I’d like you to be my Royal Hunter. I’ve heard from Sha Lin that you’re an excellent hunter and used to pursue rare creatures, but that you’ve stopped. If you accept, you’ll be chasing down criminals. I know Tyra is already doing that, but she has to train guards as well, and it’s a lot for her to do. What do you say?”

 

Lazaros was speechless, and Sera figured she ought to explain more. “You’ll still remain a Paladin and your service to them will supersede mine, so you need not worry about having to give up being a Paladin. Sound good?”

 

The hunter just nodded slowly, still surprised by the offer. “That’s… that’s an incredible offer. I accept.”

 

Sera smiled. “Very well, I shall have a new collar and a pair of reins made for Athena to mark her as well. Thank you, Lazaros.”

 

Lazaros just dipped his head and scurried out to Sha Lin, still waiting in the halls and playing with Athena who had rolled onto her back while the archer scratched her chin and her belly. 

 

“You told her?” Lazaros asked, and Sha Lin grinned, understanding what he was on about.

 

“Who else?” The Desert Wind replied, before he was immediately assaulted with a hug. “Hey, you’re welcome! It’s the least I could do.” 

 

Lazaros finally let go, and Athena rolled to her feet, trilling curiously as she felt Lazaros just radiating with excitement. He wrapped his arms around her too, breaking the news to her. She didn’t understand, but he was excited, so she was too! She chirped, crouching to let him on. Even after Lazaros got on, she didn’t move, eyeing Sha Lin and trilling. 

 

He seemed to get the message and climb on as well. “Where are we going?” He asked. 

 

Lazaros grinned the widest he had in a long time. “Let’s go tell the rest!"


	35. Epilogue: The King is Coming Home

He had been hidden away in darkness for so long. His home, ruined. His followers, gone. To any other man, he had nothing but hopelessness and despair. To him, this was an opportunity, for not only did he lose everything he had, but so had that white-haired wretch. With the Scion in prison, and the Primus dead, that left the house of the phoenix, the greatest and most feared house in the Realm, empty, and without a ruler.

 

What a perfect time to return, but he couldn’t just rush in and take the throne. No one would accept him, and from his weeks of scouting out the house in ruins, the place had been swarmed by bandits and rogues, looking to make off with loots from the grand house’s interior. On those grounds, he could not win alone.

 

Ah, but he wasn’t really alone, was he? Many of his loyal followers from the Thousand Hands had been captured or killed by the Paladins in the latest few months, but many more had evaded justice and hidden out in the furthest corners of the Realm, waiting for the him to return.

 

It was just only a matter of time before he could take his rightful place, and all he needed was a little help from a couple of old friends who had almost forgotten about him.

 

He eyed the doors with the phoenix sigil emblazoned onto it, before he crept away back into darkness. _Just wait,_ he thought, _the King is coming home._


End file.
